So if you're not a hockey fan, how do you become one? Well convincing someone to become a hockey fan may be tougher than you think!!! We've got an ESPN hockey analyst that has now returned to the bench after a 13 year absence in Tampa. We've got the old Tampa coach trying his luck as a hockey analyst with TSN. Weird huh??? Let's take a closer look at this hockey team from Florida!!!
This Tampa team somehow received 1st pick overall in the draft which is supposed to be reserved for the worst team in the NHL. How was Tampa worst than Phoenix? Or Chicago? Or Los Angeles? Why don't we look at it this way...when was the last time Tampa won the Stanley Cup? Hmmm....2004...and they joined the league in the 1992-93 season. (Same season as the Senators if anyone's keeping count). Chicago is an Original Six team and they hold the distinction of being Stanley-free for the longest time...they last won it in 1961. Toronto last won it in 1967 but who really cares!!!
Phoenix used to be the Winnipeg Jets which joined the NHL during the 1979-80 season which also saw the Edmonton Oilers, Quebec Nordiques, and Hartford Whalers come in from the WHA collapse. No Cup winners in Winnipeg (including Phoenix) but there were a few in Edmonton...I'm sure that even if you're not a hockey fan you may have heard of a man named Wayne Gretzky.
Quebec won it twice but they were the Colorado Avalanche when they won them and Hartford won it as the Hurricanes in 2006.
Los Angeles joined the league for the 1967-68 season...in case you haven't heard Toronto won its last Stanley Cup in 1967...when there were only 6 teams!!! Anyway, Los Angeles joined at the same time as the Minnesota North Stars, the California Golden Seals, the Philadelphia Flyers, the Pittsburgh Penquins, and the St. Louis Blues. Out of those additions the Flyers and the Penguins have won the Cup...Minnesota had to move to Dallas to win one.
So what am I getting at??? How is it that the rules of drafting 1st overall favour a team that has won the Cup in its first 12 years of existence? That Cup was won 4 years ago yet they somehow managed to stink up the place since then that they got the 1st overall pick...Steven Stamkos! How the heck did that happen??? Sure they had some bad goaltending but the fire-power was still there. How do they even get in the running with the likes of Los Angeles, Phoenix, and Chicago stinking up the win-loss column and not even sniffing a chance at the first overall pick? If I was a Chicago sports fan I'd be suicidal. I mean seriously...the Blackhawks, the Cubs, the Browns, the Bulls...at least the White Sox have a chance at doing some damage in October!
I'm guessing it may be pretty hard to get new fans on the NHL bandwagon especially in the States but I would imagine that if the rules were a little easier to understand then you might be able to pull more people into it. I know of some Canadian hockey fans that are having a hard enough time understanding how things work but Bettman doesn't really care about the Canadian fan base so our complaints fall on deaf ears. Strange eh???
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
What The ?????
Anyone miss me?
I know I've been lying low all summer but I had a hard time trying to figure out which story to write about. There were so many crazy things going on in the NHL, every time I wanted to start writing about it something even crazier would surface! So I've decided to basically pick up where I've left off. I'll catch up on the other stuff in the next few days or so...bear with me!!!
The last time I posted a blog was when the Sens were eliminated in 4 straight to the eventual Eastern Champion Pittsburgh Penguins. Of course the Sens could've faced the Pembroke Pylons Over 50 Squad and the result would've probably been the same...yes...they were that bad!!!!
That being said, General Manager Bryan Murray decided that enough was enough. There were problems in the dressing room that had to be rectified and he set out to do just that. The rumour mill was running at a furious rate in Ottawa with respect to illegal substances and the players who were involved. I'm not in a position to say who was involved because I never saw it actually happen but the "Group of Three" are no longer members of the Sens.
Now let's keep that train of thought going shall we? Bryan Murray is not only one of the most demanding but one of the most fiscally responsible GM's in the NHL. He refuses to give big contracts to under-achieving players. He does appear to be in the minority because for some reason the New York Rangers saw enough potential in Wade Redden from the last 2 years to offer him a sweet deal. They are now paying him $6.5 Million per year over the next 6 years! Glen Sather must've been eating some Maple Leaf deli meat when he offered that amount. There's no way this man is worth HALF that amount!!! He's been an absolute bust since he signed a $6.5 Million contract with Ottawa 3 yrs ago!!! I'm sure Bryan was happy to see him go as he tried to get him to waive his no-trade clause before last year's deadline but to no avail! I'm betting he didn't want to leave his "snow-buddies"!!!
Now Bryan's down to the "Group of Two"!
Brian McGrattan has spent more time in the penalty box than on the ice during his stay in Ottawa. I have to admit that I love a good scrap so I've been a little disappointed that I haven't seen him on the ice more often while he was wearing a Sens jersey. On the other hand, he is a one-dimensional player that will probably hurt your team before helping it. That being said, I still love the way he re-arranged Tie Domi's nose on my birthday in 2005!!! That was beautiful! He cranked Tie's nose and connected it to his left ear!!! That was the last of the Domi factor in the NHL. Unfortunately, because he was just a scrapper, I believe Brian had too much free time on his hands. After all, a hockey player wants to play hockey right!?!? With Chris Neil in the line-up there really wasn't any need for McGrattan to be on the ice...at least Neil could score. So McGrattan used his free time to socialize...and he basically socialized himself out of a job with Ottawa. Good luck in Phoenix Brian!!! I don't believe it snows in Phoenix and I'm sure Mr. Gretzky will deal with it if it does!!!
So now Bryan's down to the "Group of One"!
You have to understand that I'm only picking out three Ottawa players who weren't re-signed. If you see any other link with the 3 people I've chosen it's purely coincidental. With that in mind the last player I'd like to mention is Ray "Razor" Emery. This guy has never really had to work too hard to earn his ice time. Always seemed to be at the right place at the right time. He is just one of those naturally gifted athletes that make guys like me jealous!!! He excelled in golf, baseball, and soccer until he decided to settle on hockey. He didn't start playing in goal until he was 9 yrs old. And once he did the trophies started piling up. This trend continued with the Sault Greyhounds, the Binghampton Senators, and then right through to the 2006/07 where he was a huge reason why the Sens made it to the playoffs. But then the wheels fell off. He signed a big contract and then he got lazy! He, like McGrattan, had too much time on his hands which led to rumours of his party lifestyle! Mr. Murray decided enough was enough and bought out the rest of his contract. Now Emery is drinking vodka, enduring "snow-storms" and living in a Russian apartment. Personally, I hope he gets his head straightened out...if not then the Russian Gestapo will take care of him and he will never be in the NHL again.
That's all I'm going to bore you guys with right now but I will be back next week to talk some more about other teams and the idiot contracts that were signed in the off-season.
Hey...if you have any comments about my opinions please let me know!!! I'll eventually convince you that I'm right!!!!
CHEERS!!!!
The Rokpig!!!!
I know I've been lying low all summer but I had a hard time trying to figure out which story to write about. There were so many crazy things going on in the NHL, every time I wanted to start writing about it something even crazier would surface! So I've decided to basically pick up where I've left off. I'll catch up on the other stuff in the next few days or so...bear with me!!!
The last time I posted a blog was when the Sens were eliminated in 4 straight to the eventual Eastern Champion Pittsburgh Penguins. Of course the Sens could've faced the Pembroke Pylons Over 50 Squad and the result would've probably been the same...yes...they were that bad!!!!
That being said, General Manager Bryan Murray decided that enough was enough. There were problems in the dressing room that had to be rectified and he set out to do just that. The rumour mill was running at a furious rate in Ottawa with respect to illegal substances and the players who were involved. I'm not in a position to say who was involved because I never saw it actually happen but the "Group of Three" are no longer members of the Sens.
Now let's keep that train of thought going shall we? Bryan Murray is not only one of the most demanding but one of the most fiscally responsible GM's in the NHL. He refuses to give big contracts to under-achieving players. He does appear to be in the minority because for some reason the New York Rangers saw enough potential in Wade Redden from the last 2 years to offer him a sweet deal. They are now paying him $6.5 Million per year over the next 6 years! Glen Sather must've been eating some Maple Leaf deli meat when he offered that amount. There's no way this man is worth HALF that amount!!! He's been an absolute bust since he signed a $6.5 Million contract with Ottawa 3 yrs ago!!! I'm sure Bryan was happy to see him go as he tried to get him to waive his no-trade clause before last year's deadline but to no avail! I'm betting he didn't want to leave his "snow-buddies"!!!
Now Bryan's down to the "Group of Two"!
Brian McGrattan has spent more time in the penalty box than on the ice during his stay in Ottawa. I have to admit that I love a good scrap so I've been a little disappointed that I haven't seen him on the ice more often while he was wearing a Sens jersey. On the other hand, he is a one-dimensional player that will probably hurt your team before helping it. That being said, I still love the way he re-arranged Tie Domi's nose on my birthday in 2005!!! That was beautiful! He cranked Tie's nose and connected it to his left ear!!! That was the last of the Domi factor in the NHL. Unfortunately, because he was just a scrapper, I believe Brian had too much free time on his hands. After all, a hockey player wants to play hockey right!?!? With Chris Neil in the line-up there really wasn't any need for McGrattan to be on the ice...at least Neil could score. So McGrattan used his free time to socialize...and he basically socialized himself out of a job with Ottawa. Good luck in Phoenix Brian!!! I don't believe it snows in Phoenix and I'm sure Mr. Gretzky will deal with it if it does!!!
So now Bryan's down to the "Group of One"!
You have to understand that I'm only picking out three Ottawa players who weren't re-signed. If you see any other link with the 3 people I've chosen it's purely coincidental. With that in mind the last player I'd like to mention is Ray "Razor" Emery. This guy has never really had to work too hard to earn his ice time. Always seemed to be at the right place at the right time. He is just one of those naturally gifted athletes that make guys like me jealous!!! He excelled in golf, baseball, and soccer until he decided to settle on hockey. He didn't start playing in goal until he was 9 yrs old. And once he did the trophies started piling up. This trend continued with the Sault Greyhounds, the Binghampton Senators, and then right through to the 2006/07 where he was a huge reason why the Sens made it to the playoffs. But then the wheels fell off. He signed a big contract and then he got lazy! He, like McGrattan, had too much time on his hands which led to rumours of his party lifestyle! Mr. Murray decided enough was enough and bought out the rest of his contract. Now Emery is drinking vodka, enduring "snow-storms" and living in a Russian apartment. Personally, I hope he gets his head straightened out...if not then the Russian Gestapo will take care of him and he will never be in the NHL again.
That's all I'm going to bore you guys with right now but I will be back next week to talk some more about other teams and the idiot contracts that were signed in the off-season.
Hey...if you have any comments about my opinions please let me know!!! I'll eventually convince you that I'm right!!!!
CHEERS!!!!
The Rokpig!!!!
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