Hockey Day In Canada

G'day folks,

I know it's been a while since I touched base with you but for one reason or another I had writer's block. Not that there wasn't enough stories to write about what with the Sens' pathetic season so far, Sean Avery, The Bruins in 1st place, Brodeur's injury, the World Juniors, the All-Star game including the penalties to the no-shows, fighting in hockey, etc...heck I could go on forever. It's just that everytime I sat down to write about something another would happen. If only I could get paid to do this full-time...that would be cool...then I wouldn't have any lag time in-between stories. Alas, that is not the case.

But I digress...I would like to talk about something that has become an annual event. Not the Winter Classic although I should've spoken about that one too...it was awesome!!! No...I would like to talk about HOCKEY DAY IN CANADA!!!

This event was first broadcast by the CBC in mid-Feb. 2000. The idea was quite simple. Set aside one day where all 6 Canadian teams play against each other. The brass at CBC also decided it would be a good PR move if they could connect with the community. Obviously not the same folks who decided it was too costly to keep the "Hockey Night In Canada" song...again, I digress. Anyway, the connection would be that if you could prove you had the biggest hockey heart of any other community in Canada the CBC would give you some cash...as well, the whole day would be broadcast from there....Excellent idea!!!

So here we are entering our 8th Hockey Day in Canada...this is quickly growing into another branch of the Canadian Hockey Family Tree!! You gotta love it!!! Ummm...for those of you that are good in math and can't understand why we are only going into our 8th HDIC it's because 2005 was cancelled due to the player's lockout.

So anyway, this is a full day of showing grass-roots hockey...pond-hockey...street hockey...current members of the hockey hall-of-fame, etc. All in the spirit of Canadian's enjoying hockey! Don Cherry and Ron MacLean have a full schedule as they meet the fans and find out what makes their hockey minds click. This year the winning community is Campellton, New Brunswick and that's where Ron and Don will be on Feb 21st.

This year's line-up will be a must-see as the 6 Canadian teams will face-off against each other. Ottawa will be in Montreal; Vancouver will be in Toronto; and Calgary will visit Edmonton (always a great game!!!!) Of course there are other games involved that day...13 games in all that will begin at 1:00pm with Pittsburgh in Philadelphia (a Pennsylvania must-see) and finishing with the classic Calgary vs Edmonton at 10:00pm. Oh yeah...and my Bruins will be busting into Florida to beat the crap out of the Panthers at 7:00pm.

The Nasty Hockey Show will be doing their part this year. We will be filming another episode at Philthy McNasty's right after the Ott. vs Mtl. game. We will have our special guest Liam Maguire talking trivia so please come on out with the family and enjoy this amazing day of hockey love!!! Can you say koombaya...koombaya...???

Once again folks...if you haven't had the chance to catch any of the past Hockey Day In Canada shows then you have truly missed something special. Of course it's never too late!!! Start the family tradition now...it's all for the love of the greatest sport in the world...HOCKEY!!!!

Hope to see you at Philthy's...there will be prizes all day and tons of hockey to keep you energized!!!

CHEERS!!!
The Rokpig

Nasty Hockey Show Part Deux

G'day folks!!!

The second episode of the Nasty Hockey Show was on Friday, Oct. 24th and it was a blast!!!

We had our very special guest Liam Maguire on board to handle some trivia that was sent in via email...and he didn't disappoint!!!

The Dummy of The Week was Sean Avery!!! We gave away prizes to anyone that could rip a slap-shot at him.

We had some great opinions from the folks in the crowd concerning the Sens and other hockey stuff.

But don't take my word for it...go here http://nastyhockeyshow.wordpress.com/ and check it out for yourself!!!! Don't forget to register once you're there...you'll get updates automatically and. more importantly, you can help us get ammo for sponsorship...the more people that are registered the easier it is to get our show sponsored! You can do that by clicking on the link to the right of the main post entitled "subscribe to the nasty hockey show by email" or you can simply use this link http://www.feedburner.com/fb/a/emailverifySubmit?feedId=2547676&loc=en_US.

We'll keep you posted for the date and time of the next show...in the meantime send me some comments about what you would like discussed...not sure if I can get Liam for the next one but send in trivia if you like and I'll make sure I keep it on file for his next appearance.

And DON'T FORGET TO REGISTER!!!!

CHEERS!!!
The Rokpig...

The Nasty Hockey Show

We kicked off Season 2 of the Nasty Hockey Show last Saturday when the MIGHTY BOSTON BRUINS were in town to take on the Sens. It was a successful night all around...the show went well and the Bruins won!!!

Check out this link and you can see the show... http://nastyhockeyshow.wordpress.com/

We'll be doing our 2nd show this Friday at 5:00pm when the Ducks come in to town. Can you say DUCK-SEASON!?!?!? So come on down to Philthy McNasty's at Kanata Centrum and check it out LIVE!!! That way you can offer your opinions and win some prizes.

Our special guest this Friday will be Liam Maguire...the NHL hockey trivia king!!! Try and stump him for a chance at some prizes.

Also...new to the show this year is the Nasty Dummy. Every show we will be picking an NHL player who has shown that even elite athletes can be idiots!!! Take a look at the footage from last week and you will see who the first dummy of 2008-09 was.

Once you're on the Nasty Hockey Show website please take the time to register so that you can receive automatic updates whenever something new is added. Also, you can send in some emails that you would like to be read during our email segment of the show.

Hope to see you all there...

CHEERS!!!!
The Rokpig...

Got an Opinion?

G'day Folks!!!

The NHL regular season has kicked off for 4 teams in Europe already but the rest of the NHL officially starts this Thursday, Oct. 9th. The new season always brings new hope for die-hard fans who suffer through season after season of terrible results. Most hockey fans have a favourite team and are not ashamed to show it or talk about it no matter where that team ends up by the first week of April.

The problem is this...who listens!?!?!?

Most radio talk shows will only take your call if you have something to say that fits what they want to talk about. Other stations will only take your call if it's about the home team. You can email team websites and hope your opinion gets heard...chances aren't good!!! How about the local newspaper? Thanks to the internet, you can send your opinion to papers around the world now so if you're a Coyotes fan living in Ottawa you should be able to send in your thoughts to the Phoenix News Daily and it should be heard LOUD AND PROUD!!! But not so my fellow hockey fan...not so at all!!!

So where can we go to vent about our hockey team??? Is there a platform that will allow us to speak freely about hockey?? Where can we say what we want and know that people are hearing it and feeling the same pain as we do??? I'm here to tell you that this mecca exists!!!

That's right...if you have an opinion about hockey and your hockey team that needs to be heard then read on. If you feel the need to stand up for your team no matter how bad they are then read on!!! I'm telling you about a place where true hockey questions are answered...true hockey tales are told...and true hockey dreams are squashed!!!! A true forum to express your opinions...in front of a hi-def camcorder...and posted on the internet for the world to view in an honest and carefree surrounding.

I'm talking about the Nasty Hockey Show!!! A place where you can voice your opinions and stand up for your team!! Can you think of any other medium where that freedom exists? I didn't think so...

If this concept appeals to you then please join us at Philthy McNasty's in the Kanata Centrum Mall on October 18th at 5:00pm. The Boston Bruins will be in town that evening and I would love to hear you Ottawa fans tell me how your goaltending situation is better than my beloved Bruins!!!!

Any takers??? I dare ya!!!!

CHEERS!!!
The Rokpig!!!

Senator's Spiral

Here's the deal...the Ottawa Senators are on a downward spiral folks!!! I know Sen's fans are all excited about their pre-season play but let's look at this a little closer. Gerber has let in the first shot of his last 2 pre-season games in North America. Then in Sweden he lets a floater get by him against the Frolunda Indians in the 2nd period. The Frolunda Indians???? Seriously!!! Can hardly wait to see what this guy will deliver when the regular season starts!!! Hey, you should have comfort with the fact that Alex Auld might steal a couple of games!!! I feel warm all over knowing that!!! As usual, another year of questionable goaltending in Ottawa.

On the positive side, Ottawa has won a couple of pre-season games but you have to look at the line-up that was used in those wins. In their losses to the Rangers and the Habs, the Sens weren't using their top lines but neither were those teams. However, in their wins they were using their top players against a no-name bunch. Also, against Montreal they actually had to resort to putting Alfie back with Spezza and Heatley. Sound familiar??? That's right...Ottawa has one line and no goaltending!!! Here's to an early golf season in Ottawa folks...I'm sure by January you guys will be calling for Bryan Murray's head!!! You'll also be wanting to trade Gerber and Spezza for Luongo...don't hold your breath!!!

This is a public service announcement that is meant to be an early warning to Sens fans!!! Your team is horrible this year and will not make the playoffs!!! But at least you'll finish higher than the Leafs!!!!

CHEERS!!!
The Rokpig....GO BRUINS GO!!!!

Tampa Bay Frightening!!!

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???

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!!!!