Awesome Name Award: Ruslan Salei

I had this Awesome Name Award saved as a draft for months and since his death I was a little unsure whether or not to post it.  I guess I will use this space to say that his death and those of his teammates was tragic - as was the deaths of Derek Boogard, Rick Rypien and Wade Belak.  I will also add that I was particularly shocked at the deaths of Wade Belak and Pavol Demitra.

Let The Games Begin!

Finally, regular season hockey begins tonight and what a better way to start than a Leafs v. Habs game?

Now, to remind myself not to get too far ahead in my excitement, I've included a pic that I screencapped from NHL.com last year.  It was at our height - the Leafs were at the top of league ... for like four whole games.  Then the proverbial shit hit the fan but Optimus Reim came along to (almost) save us!  It's totally unfair but any hope we have for making the playoffs rests on his shoulders.  Unfair but true.

Anyways, below are two Optimus Reim videos.  They're sure to pump up any Leafs fan but especially a certain Torontonian who is abroad without cable ;)

*So, I selected my first week's fantasy team and it's a bit of a shot in the dark.  It's kinda hard to base it on last year's performance and I only got the chance to watch a single preseason game so I don't have anything to go on, really.  This is my selection:

Forwards: *Steven Stamkos*, Jonathan Toews, Phil Kessel, Drew Stafford, Jordan Staal, Brayden Schenn
Defence: *Nicklas Lidstrom*, Kris Letang, John-Michael Liles, Shea Weber
Goalies: *Jimmy Howard*, Pekka Rinne

Hockey’s Back!!!

This was one long summer without hockey.  While it technically wasn’t longer than any other summer, it felt longer.  No matter how much the Leafs suck I look forward to the beginning of every season and alternating between feelings of excitement and an overwhelming urge to throttle the team.  Naturally, with the promise shown at the end of last season, I'm even more excited than normal at the prospect of winning more games than we lose.  Now before the ‘oh, you poor deluded Leafs fan’ speech begins, let me say clarify that.  For starters, we are not perfect, we aren’t even great.  But we're decent.  This is an improvement from being _______ (insert your own choice word here) which we were for the last few seasons.

Now, predicting shit is anyone’s game but if this season continues on the note that we left it on last year than I predict that we have a genuine chance at making the playoffs.  Sure, we’d get our asses whooped by the first place team (assuming we squeak in to eighth spot) but it would be hella fun to watch.  Now, knowing the Leafs, it’s quite possible that my prediction could come back to bite me in the ass and while I would be disappointed, it is an undeniable fact that the team is getting better.  We’re not there yet folks but the train’s going in the right direction.  The two biggest reasons for my excitement this year are Nazem Kadri and James Reimer.  I sincerely hope that Kadri flourishes and that Reimer just keeps doing what he does.  I also have high hopes for the MacArthur/Grabovski/Kulemin line though I'll admit that I’m a little unsure of the Lupul/Connolly/Kessel/ line.

*****

On another note, apparently Brendan Shanahan, the league's brand-spankin' new disciplinarian, has been suspending the heck out of people during the pre-season. Let’s hope that he keeps this up until everyone gets the message and that he doesn’t abandon his stance a moment earlier.  It's hard to watch hockey and not be concerned about the concussion issue.  Just over this post-season, Paul Kariya had to retire early and it was announced that it's unlikely that Marc Savard will ever play again.  It’s a ridiculous idea that the enjoyment of some fans comes BEFORE the health of players.  Screw your life, I’M entertained!  I think that what gets lost in all this is that while they are players that you may like or dislike, they are also real people who will have to deal long-term health implications of their profession long after they’ve retired.

Personally, I don’t like fights.  I don’t cheer or get bloodthirsty.  At best, I watch with indifference - at worst, I cringe and feel sorry both guys.  While dirty hits (particularly those to the head) and fighting are distinct issues, there comes a time when one must question the level violence in this sport.  At times, I almost feel guilty for being a hockey fan, wondering if by watching I am passively participating and encouraging this violence.  It’s unbelievable that one minute you’re watching any other game and the next minute you could be witnessing somebody get seriously injured for life.  I will say though that I love a good, clean check.  When done well, it’s a beautiful thing.  BUT I can’t stand a dirty hit and if Shanahan is proposing to take them out of the game, then I’m all for it.

Also, I love the fact that he accompanies each decision with a video explaining his ruling.  The last guy, Colin Campbell, was beyond inconsistent and no one could understand how the hell he made his decisions (dartboard, anyone?).  This made it all too easy to suspect favouritism for his son's team (the Boston Bruins, who happened to win the Stanley Cup).  Whether or not you believe he was as impartial as he could be, if he was consistent and transparant like Shanahan is, then there wouldn't be as much cause to suspect him.  So, I'm impressed with the credibility and transparency that Shanahan is lending to his position as league disciplinarian.  So far, he's having a better go of it than Colin Campbell ever did.

Oh, and Brad Richards signed with the New York Rangers.  Screw you, we didn’t want you anyway.  Well, we kinda did, but not really.

Anyways, I’m off to watch the last game of the pre-season against the Red Wings.  Cheers!

***P.S.: The title of this post comes from a hilarious tweet by The NHL Rulebook: "Hockey's back! (This is the answer to the question: "What part of hockey would Jody Shelley most likely target for a body check?")"

Looong Overdue Stanley Cup Finals Recap

This post is way overdue.  Let’s just say that with the way the Stanley Cup finals turned out, I was just too damned annoyed to complete the following post.  I mean, I started writing one back then (thankfully, as it’s been so long now that I don’t remember much) but I didn’t finish it.  Anyways, here it is completed and gussied up.  Looking back at what I wrote then, I guess I was pretty annoyed because as I’m reading it now, I can barely bring myself to give a crap for Vancouver

(1-3) Vancouver-Boston: Boston is the team that never flippin dies.  I dislike this team for oh so many reasons - some justified and some that I just can’t put my finger on.  Don’t like them - never have.  Boston players who have particularly gotten on my nerves: Lucic, Ference and Marchand.  I didn’t particularly like Horton either but after that hit I feel like I’d rather not say shit about him.  And I can’t describe the way Brad Marchand grinded my gears throughout the playoffs.  In fact, I think he is a pretty good example of why I can’t stand Boston fans.  He does shit that’s 1,000x more irritating and way worse than P.K. Subban but everyone, particularly Bostonians and the general hockey media, paint Subban like he’s the bad guy.  There is an elephant in the room that need not be mentioned here, folks.

Anyways, Vancouver clearly had it until game 3 when all went to hell in a flaming handbasket.  Looking back, I’m kinda surprised they managed to win the first two games given the way they pretty much played the rest of the series.  Grind out wins when you need them and get blown out otherwise.  It got pretty hard to support Vancouver and hope for them to win when they played in such a ridiculous manner.  I mean who goes into a final and plays like shit?  I’m not taking about teams that just get outplayed because they aren’t good enough.  Vancouver’s forwards easily match (and surpass in the regular season) Boston’s.  Yet the players just don’t seem to play like they care or play like they are clearly capable of playing.  I’m looking at you, Sedins.  Burrows, that goes for you too.  Luongo … all I can do is sigh.  Kesler played well against Nashville but he wasn’t that great against Boston … except unlike the others he actually looked like he cared to win.  Honestly, when that’s the effort a team puts in, they pretty much deserve to lose.  And they did.  Spectacularly.  Thanks for the wonderful game 7, Canucks.  I’m sure it was exciting for your fans to watch you get shutout!

Oh and the non-stop antics from both teams!  On Boston’s side, I wasn’t surprised … they were pulling shit from the beginning.  I’m sorry but I remember Ference’s non-finger and his non-hit on Halpern.  I also remember the shenanigans they used to pull near the end of games against Tampa.  So, sorry, but the bar was set pretty low where they were concerned.  Vancouver, on the other hand, didn’t really pull shit until the final series in which case it was pretty much ‘go hard or go home’.  Honestly, Burrows biting Bergeron’s finger would be pretty funny if it wasn’t also lame.  The diving from both teams was only surpassed by the Sedins absolute (and embarrassing!) refusal to defend themselves.  It’s just wrong when a grown man like Henrik gets treated like a rag doll by a kid like Marchand.

Tim Thomas was the best goalie in the entire playoffs full stop.  There is no way that Boston would have gone as far as they did without him.  He made a good team the last one standing.  I can hate on Boston but I can’t hate on him.

So why was I supporting the Canucks in the playoffs?  First, I am a Leafs fan and *ahem* ... well, you know the rest.  While I will never be a fan of another team, when I'm watching a non-Leafs game I will choose sides.  During the playoffs, I tend to go Canadian and there are usually two sides to the Support Canada argument: 1) Support Canadian teams and 2) Support the team with the most Canadians.  I hold the former view.  The problem with the latter is that most teams tend to have a lot of Canadians anyways.  So what’s the difference between let’s say 15 Canadians on a team and 18?  Not much, really.  And if we’re going with that argument then I’d rather have a Canadian fan base happy and see a Canadian team win the Stanley Cup instead of several Canadians on an American team ... it's a numbers thing, really.  And while I love Canadian players, I aint gonna hate on the others.  I mean, who can hate on Nick Lidstrom because he Swedish?  And in spite his performance for the Leafs, I like the American Komisarek and I sure as hell wouldn’t say no to Kesler joining the Leafs.

That said, I had a harder time supporting Vancouver than I would’ve like.  First off, I peruse the occasional hockey forums, blogs, etc. and most Vancouver fans have been insufferable all of last year.  I’m talking non-stop regular season hate on the Leafs.  Leafs not a part of the conversation?  Don’t worry!  You can count on a Van fan to unnecessarily bring them up to remind you how much the Leafs suck and how deluded we must be for supporting them and thinking they might win in the (hopefully) near future.  First, we know they aren’t the shit right now, thank you very much, and second, do you even know the definition of being an effin fan?  You could also count on them to wax poetic about how great they were (omg our Swedish Twins! Kesler! Luongo!) and how “this is their year” (whoops).  Their non-stop bragging with their constant hate on other teams (especially the Leafs) made them pretty damn annoying.

All of this was compounded during the final series when the team upped the ante on the antics and decided that it was a suitable alternative to, you know, playing hockey.  In spite of all this, I stuck to my guns because no matter how infuriating the whole shebang was, at the end of the day, I’d rather see a Canadian team win the Stanley Cup.  And while Vancouverites have been pretty insufferable, Bostonians aint all that either.

*And the proverbial icing on the cake: the riots.  I was in Vancouver during the Olympics and that place is beautiful so it’s an absolute shame that they would burn it down.  Long story short, the Vancouver Canucks embarrassed Vancouverites and Vancouverites, in turn, embarrassed the nation.

Good times all around.