Author Archives: Scott Taylor

The Second Round is Upon Us… We Like the Rangers, Flyers, Preds and Blues.

Posted on April 27, 2012 by Scott Taylor| 1 Comment
0762a4274372bae6ebc7ae9b5dc3 300x219 The Second Round is Upon Us... We Like the Rangers, Flyers, Preds and Blues.

The Devils beat Florida in double overtime in Game 7.

Round 1 of the Stanley Cup tournament is over and it was pretty wild.

There were 16 overtime games – 12 of them won by the road teams – a load of upsets (L.A. over Vancouver in five, Washington over Boston in seven), the elimination of all the Canadian teams and the stunning revelation that there will be a new Stanley Cup champion this June.

Of course, in the end, New York Rangers head coach John Tortorella said it best right after his No. 1 seed in the East, snuck past the feisty Ottawa Senators in seven games: “We had to work very hard against a good team, but we’re really satisfied to have won Round 1. But we can’t forget that it was just Round 1. There is a long way to go.”

Absolutely.

For the sake of argument, and as a justification, for taking the time to read this, we went 5-3 with our first round picks and are quite proud of that number. We picked the Rangers, Pittsburgh, New Jersey and Boston in the East and Phoenix, St. Louis, Vancouver and Nashville in the West. The Rangers, New Jersey, Phoenix, St. Louis and Nashville are moving in and my post-season fantasy pool that is loaded with Predators and Rangers is still in the hunt.

Let’s look at Round 2 and make another set of fearless predictions:

THE WEST

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Jonathan Quick - Can he be the difference?

St. Louis Blues over Los Angeles Kings in seven games The Kings upset in the top-seeded and President’s Trophy-winning Vancouver Canucks in five games in Round 1 and, of course, they did it with goaltending. Los Angeles still has the best goaltending in the West with Jonathan Quick in net, and that can be seen quite clearly through the Round 1 scores: 4-2, 4-2, 1-0, 1-3, 2-1. Of all the teams in the playoffs, L.A. was the only team that didn’t score 200 goals this past season, but my goodness, they stop the other team from scoring and that’s how they ousted Vancouver. In the playoffs, I’m a defense-first guy and in a grind-it-out series against a goalie that led the NHL in shutouts this season with 10, I’ll usually take the goalie. Defense trumps offense in the post-season. However, you can’t knock the defensive efforts of the Blues. During the season, St. Louis finished 49-22-11 as head coach Ken Hitchcock took over a struggling team and made them one of the best in the league. He did it by stopping other teams from scoring. In 2010-11, the Blues were 38-33-11 and in 11th place in the West. They gave up 234 goals last season. This year, as they finished second in the West and tied for second overall in the NHL, the Blues allowed only 165 goals, best in the NHL. They were a plus-45 as a team and Brian Elliot (or Jaroslav Halak) has been brilliant. This will be a dull, checking, trapping series and the Blues will eke out four 1-0 in overtime games. Or something like that.

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Can Mike Smith do it Again?

Nashville Predators over Phoenix Coyotes in six games: You have to have young legs to grind out this two-month tournament successfully and Nashville is a younger and tougher team. Oh, the Coyotes are tough and they proved they could win in the playoffs with that 4-2 series victory over Chicago. And, as they proved in Round 1, the Coyotes play defense-first hockey and they have obviously bought into head coach Dave Tippett’s theory of defense first and ride unlikely superstar goalie Mike Smith (Isn’t it interesting that a guy named Mike Smith destroyed the Winnipeg Jets franchise and then a guy named Mike Smith got the Coyotes their first Stanley Cup series win?). Not even Jonathan Quick was better than Smith in Round 1. However, the Preds are not a fluke (and Phoenix could be). If you need more proof of Nashville’s supremacy, just look at special teams: The Preds were No. 1 in the NHL in power play efficiency at 21.6 percent, and their penalty-killing unit finished 10th (83.6), and was one of only three teams — Vancouver and Pittsburgh were the others — to finish in the Top 10 in both special teams categories. Goaltending and special teams can go a long way in the playoffs and with Pekka Rinne the Preds have both. This series won’t go the distance.

THE EAST

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Henrik Lundqvist

New York Rangers over Washington Capitals in six games: Both of these teams had a difficult time in Round 1. One was expected to have trouble but the other was expected to romp. Washington was everyone’s underdog against Boston, but young Braden Holtby became the first rookie goalie since Ken Dryden in 1971 to beat a defending Stanley Cup champion in the opening round of the next season’s tournament. Washington would not have beaten the Bruins without a great goaltender. Meanwhile, Henrik Lundqvist, arguably this year’s Vein Trophy winner, led the Rangers into the first place seed in the East and got them past an inspired Senators team in Round 1 by winning Game 7 2-1. This will be a great series for people who love goaltending match-ups. Holtby is the young kid trying to make a name for himself while Lundqvist might be the best in the game today. The spotlight will be on them, but I’m taking the proven commodity.

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Claude Giroux

Philadelphia Flyers over New Jersey Devils in six games: The hottest team in hockey over the last 10 days of the regular season — with six wins in a row — takes on a team that was tougher, faster and more prepared than a Pittsburgh squad that many experts thought might goal all the way. Jersey is healthy, finally, and goalie Martin Brodeur is playing as well as he has in very illustrious career. And just before they took out Florida in seven games (with a double-overtime road win in Game 7) they went 7-2-1 in their last 10. It’s hard not to like the Devils chances, even if they have to start and finish on the road, however, the Flyers are a terrific hockey club right now. Even goofy Ilya Bryzgalov is good enough in net because the Claude Giroux-led Flyers seem to be scoring at will. Here’s my theory: defense-first teams tend to win in the playoffs, but I cheer for teams that are exciting and can score goals. The Flyers are exciting and can score goals. I’m going to ignore my own policy and take a team that scored 30 goals in six games in the first round.

(Listen to Scott Taylor every Monday to Friday from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. on NCI FM and Streetz 104.7 FM in Winnipeg and every Wednesday morning at 10:05 CST on The TEAM 1260 in Edmonton.)

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Another Crazy Day… and it Gets Crazier Every Day.

Posted on April 26, 2012 by Scott Taylor| 2 Comments
120426 Capitals.ss full 300x194 Another Crazy Day... and it Gets Crazier Every Day.

The Goal.

I’m going to cheat a little bit today. I’m going to let other people do the heavy lifting while I pass judgment.

There were a couple of very odd sports videos posted on the web this beautiful Thursday morning as well as the replay of Washington Capitals announcer Joe Beninati going insane over Joel Ward’s goal in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference quarter-final against Boston.

Now, I certainly understand why Beninati went nuts. It’s not every day that the defending Stanley Cup champion loses in the first round to a rookie goaltender. In fact, Washington’s Braden Holtby became the first rookie goalie to beat a defending Stanley Cup champ since Ken Dryden pulled it off in 1971.

But I must admit, there was reason to believe Beninati would not survive his call, below (courtesy the Capitals Network):

Now comes the crazy…

Our first video is somewhat disturbing. Did you see that creepy Japanese movie “The Ring?” Remember that make-your-skin-crawl girl ghost, Sadako Yamamura? Well, here she is again, throwing out the first pitch at a Nippon Ham Fighters game.

Honest. This is a real video…

Only in a Japanese Professional Baseball League game, you say? Pity.

And our final video is also creepy. Sort of.

It’s from a young woman named Breanne who would really like a date with the final pick in the 2012 NFL draft. It would be funny, if it wasn’t a little pathetic.

OK, it’s funny. And kind of creepy, all at the same time…

“Day 3, Round 7, Pick 253.” You lucky boy. You could make Breanne, Mrs. Irrelevant.

Of course the best part of the whole deal is her shout out at the end of the video, to the boys of the Big Sky Conference. She knows her football, gotta give her that.

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10 Observations from a Weekend of Hockey

Posted on April 23, 2012 by Scott Taylor| Leave a comment
Stanley Cup 195x300 10 Observations from a Weekend of Hockey

The Prize.

It’s the greatest time of any hockey season — the first round of the Stanley Cup tournament.

After watching at least parts of 12 playoff games — plus the Allan Cup final and the Team Canada bronze medal game at the World Under-18 championship — this weekend, I have made a list of observations.

I apologize if some are frivolous, but my eyeballs are too sore to type:

1) The Boston Bruins proved how difficult it is to repeat as Stanley Cup champions. They have also proved that by finding themselves in a 3-3 tie with the Washington Capitals, they aren’t going to go down without a fight.

Tyler Seguin’s overtime goal on Sunday afternoon in Washington sent the Eastern quarter-final to a seventh game and kept Boston’s chances alive as the Bruins try to  become the first team to win back-to-back Stanley Cup championships since the Detroit Red Wings pulled off the feat  in 1997 and 1998.

The Seguin goal, courtesy of the NHL Network:

The two teams meet in Game 7 on Wednesday night in Boston. Should be fun.

2) The Winnipeg Jets have every right to feel good about themselves. They might not have made the playoffs, but two teams from their own division have played outstanding hockey in the playoffs.

The Capitals have taken the defending champion Bruins to the brink while Florida can oust New Jersey on Tuesday night. That’s pretty good for the “weak” Southeast Division.

By the way, if you think Washington doesn’t have a hope in Game 7 IN Boston, consider this: Road teams have won 26 of 42 playoff games so far this spring.

3) Say what you will about the inconsistent Wild West Justice of the NHL’s Department of Player Safety, but Raffi Torres deserved every game of his 25-game suspension.

4) Congratulations to the Southeast Prairie Thunder.

For the first time since 2003, the Manitoba rep has won the Allan Cup. Saturday night in Lloydminster, Sask., Devon LeBlanc and Brad Purdie each a goal and an assist as the Prairie Thunder defeated the Rosetown Red Wings 4-1 to win the Canadian Senior A men’s hockey championship.

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Back in the day, Coach Leach was a Stanley Cup winner in Pittsburgh.

As well, congratulations to head coach Jamie Leach, originally from Berens River First Nation, for leading the Prairie Thunder to the national title. As a player, Leach won two Stanley Cups in Pittsburgh (his name is only on the Cup in 1992, but he was on the team in 1991), as well as a Calder Cup (1996), two Allan Cups (2003 and 2006) and two British League championships (1999 and 2000) in a 20-year hockey career that didn’t end until his Powell River Royals from British Columbia won the 2006 Canadian Senior A championship.

5) The St. Louis Blues took out the San Jose Sharks in five games. The Blues looked pretty spectacular in the process. The Blues won because they check and check and when things get tough, they check some more.

It’s amazing to think that in 2010-11, the Blues were 11th in the West and allowed 234 goals. This past season, they were second in the West and led the NHL by allowing only 165 goals.

If Ken Hitchcock wasn’t coach of the year before the playoffs (which he was), he’s certainly coach of the year now.

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Henrik Zetterberg: Is it time to start moving the vets out of Detroit?

6) The Detroit Red Wings were taken out of the playoffs quite easily by the Nashville Predators. The Preds have a good team, but not a great one.

Make no mistake, the Wings must make serious changes this off-season. They have great players who, since 2008, have just stopped showing up for the playoffs.

It might even be time to think about moving some of the core veterans to get younger, hungrier legs. After all, Tomas Holmstrom, 39, Henrik Zetterberg, 31, Johan Franzen, 32, Danny Cleary, 33, Todd Bertuzzi, 37, Brad Stuart, 32, Nicklas Lidstrom, 41, Pavel Datsyuk, 33, and Nicklas Kronwall, 31, are all great players, but they’re getting a little long in the tooth.

7) What is going to happen to Roberto Luongo?

Obviously Cory Schneider is now the Vancouver Canucks No. 1 goaltender. Luongo is being paid $6,716,000 this season and he’ll be close to $7 million next season (he’s only in the second year of a 12-year $64 million deal) so it’s hard to imagine that any team would want him, but one gets the sense Toronto would take a chance.

Trouble is, Brian Burke won’t speak to Mike Gillis.

One thing we know: The Canucks will do everything possible to unload Luongo this coming off-season.

icon cool 10 Observations from a Weekend of Hockey The more I listen to Dean Brown call the play-by-play on CBC, the more I enjoy his call. The more I listen to Mark Lee on CBC, the more I want to stick hot pokers in my ears.

9) Did you experience the Dustin Penner sighting on Sunday night? $4,250,000 for seven goals this season and one in the playoffs.

I know, Scott, be fair. It wasn’t Penner’s fault that the Edmonton Oilers gave him $3.5 million more than he was worth and then the L.A. Kings TRADED for him.

10) The Chicago Blackhawks have now played seven straight overtime playoff games, including the final two a year ago against the Canucks.

Here’s Jonathan Toews’ overtime winner on Saturday night:

It’s tough to be a fan of a playoff team at the best of times, but if you love the Hawks, you must be apoplectic by now.

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Another Weekend, Another Whack of Crazy…

Posted on April 22, 2012 by Scott Taylor| Leave a comment

Musings from a weekend that brought us a perfect game, a 25-game suspension and a marvelous fight between Jon (Bones) Jones and Rashad Evans.

In fact, let’s start with the fight:

Jones is one of the greatest fighters in UFC history, but Evans has to be given credit for surviving the onslaught that Jones unleashed. You saw the elbows in the clip. It was vicious.

This was one of the great grudge matches in the annals of the UFC, but you just got the sense that Jones didn’t want to put away his former friend. Instead, he just wanted to beat him up.

It was kind of crazy.

Now the really crazy…

1) The New York Post is a Murdoch newspaper. That means it’s biased, seldom accurate and often completely crazy. Of course, it’s also funny.

After the Yankees beat Boston 6-2 on Friday night and on the morning that Yanks would came back from a 9-0 deficit to the Red Sox on the weekend of the 100th anniversary of Boston’s beloved Fenway Park (as Luke Scott said earlier this season, it really is an old dump), the Yankees’ biggest fans let the Red Sox know exactly how New York feels…

Post Ass Kicking Another Weekend, Another Whack of Crazy...

 

2) It was April 22, 2012. The Red Sox were 4-10. They had just lost 15-9 to the Yankees at home after leading 9-0. Not surprisingly, the “Fire Bobby Valentine” chants started.

Early? Maybe? There are, after all, 148 games left. And Darnell McDonald is hitting .111, Kevin Youkilis is batting .190, Jacoby Ellsbury was hitting .192 when he was hurt, Jarrod Saltalamacchia is hitting .206, Clay Buchholz ERA is 9.00, Jon Lester is 0-2 with a 5.82 ERA,  the bullpen can’t get anyone out and Carl Crawford is injured.

That’s not Bobby Valentine’s fault.

3) A young man named Kendall Weir wrote a senior economics thesis at Hamilton College on the following premise: “NFL teams will probably be better off drafting players with ‘character’ issues than players who don’t have character issues.” And Weir made it clear that “character” issues didn’t necessarily mean that the guys are just douchebags. He meant players who have been arrested and charged with a crime. You can find the AP story here, but the concept makes sense.

Weir believes you can get players later in the draft who have been arrested and charged (or just arrested) because they scare the crap out of most scouts. However, the college football players who have been in trouble with the law, have, for the most part, been outstanding pros.

A football executive I know once said, “Football keeps at least 300 potential felons — mostly linebackers — out of prison.” I always thought of it as a joke, but Kendall Weir now has a scientific thesis to prove it’s no joke at all.

4) And to finish: this is what it looks like to get a 98 mile per hour fastball in the man parts.

Don’t forget, that was a Stephen Strasberg fastball that caught umpire Greg Gibson wore in the, well, cojones.

By the way, he went down hard and for a long time. I think I speak for every guy when I say, “Eewwwwwww.”

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Shanahan Throws the Book at the Guy who Threw “The Check.”

Posted on April 21, 2012 by Scott Taylor| Leave a comment
1334540829534 ORIGINAL 269x300 Shanahan Throws the Book at the Guy who Threw The Check.

Torres suspended for 25 games.

The concern that the National Hockey League is getting more violent as the year passes was brought into sharp focus again on Saturday when the NHL suspended Phoenix Coyotes forward Raffi Torres for 25 games.

25 games!

It’s especially interesting when you consider that there were a load of hockey fans who believed, in their hearts, that Torres’s hit on Marian Hossa was “clean.” Sure 20 years ago, it might have resulted in a two-minute charging penalty, but the NHL of 2012 is NOT the NHL of 1992.

On Saturday, Brendan Shanahan, the director of the Department of NHL Player Safety (I still love that), explained the league’s decision:

Shanahan  made his position very clear. “ Torres left his feet… he hit Hossa directly in the head… and he did so after the puck had left Hossa’s possession.”  Plus, Torres has a history of violent, unnecessary checks to his opponents’ heads.

Now I agree, 25 games is a harsh punishment. But as Shanahan makes his argument, it’s obvious that  he believes the punishment fits the crime(s). He is certainly sending a message to repeat offenders: “Break the rules you could be suspended. Break three of them and injure a guy seriously and you’ll be suspended for a long time.”

Now all the NHL has to do is consider rescinding the $10,000 fine it laid on Joel Quenneville for blasting the referees for calling absolutely nothing on the Torres hit. A 25-game suspension to Raffi Torres for the hit on Hossa makes it clear that the NHL itself should have blasted its officials — then fired them.

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The “New” NHL Really Didn’t Work, but Fans Seem to Like This One Better.

Posted on April 17, 2012 by Scott Taylor| 1 Comment
97876 crop 340x234 300x206 The New NHL Really Didnt Work, but Fans Seem to Like This One Better.

Gary Bettman: "It will be great." Or something...

Back in 2005, shortly after the lockout, Gary Bettman made the following promise:

“When we return, you will notice the difference,” Bettman said at news conference following the end of the year-long work stoppage. “The league promises that there will be zero tolerance for hooking, holding, tripping, slashing, cross-checking and interference. Players who use their stick or free hand to grab and slow down an opponent will be penalized. We promise to open up the game. We must pit an end to those tactics that take the speed and skill away from our great game.”

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The High-Flying 1980s

It was a refreshing statement, a statement that all hockey lovers wanted to hear. The game, slowed to a crawl by the mid-ice trap and the left-wing lock, needed to be put back to the way it was in the high-flying 1980s, when Gretzky and Messier and Goring and Bossy and Hawerchuk and Fleury skated and scored and lit up the night.  That was the time before the game brought up a load of fast, skilled players who were being hooked, held and obstructed to the detriment of the spectacle.

It was going to be the dawn of the “New NHL.”

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Calling the game: Back when guys like Kerry Fraser actually had their arms up on occasion.

It was time to allow the referees to call the game the way the rulebook intended. There weren’t any changes to the basic rules of hockey. The league simply said it was going to send a directive to officials that would dictate a crackdown on all of the obstruction tactics that coaches were using, well, because they were allowed to use them. It was a great day for the game and for those fans who wanted speed, skill and excitement, not to mention some goal scoring, to return.

Heck, the commissioner and the owners even took the centre red line out of play; opening up the neutral zone and eliminating the old two-line pass offside. They gave smaller, faster players room to display their skills. This was going to be great. It even prompted a discussion about ending fighting in hockey.

It was a nice experiment and it almost worked. There was a lot of scoring for a couple of seasons and small, skilled players did have some room to dangle.

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Remember when Joe Thornton scored 100 points?

Trouble was, the officials went back to their old ways because despite the opinion of TSN and the Hockey News, the players never really did adapt to the new rules. There were too many penalties and nobody wanted that. After 2006-07, when seven players scored at least 100 points and 10 players scored 40 goals, the league reverted to everything that made the early 2000s deathly dull.

The game also became more dangerous. It took five full years to come up with 10 players who scored 100 points or more after the 2006-07 season, while in the meantime, concussions and suspensions grew concurrently. Scoring went down, serious head injuries went up and all the while, players got bigger and even faster and even tougher.

The league’s referees have changed the game, as well. All those hooking, holding and interference calls that were made in 2005-06 and to some extent in 2006-07, have long since been ignored. Referees don’t “call” games, they manage them and while most obstruction violations are now just part of the game, this year’s playoffs have already produced a jump in outright violence that hasn’t been seen in playoff hockey since the Slap Shot years of the 1970s.

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The Hansons! Good old time hockey. "Do you know Eddie Shore?"

In fact, on Tuesday, the following announcements were made:

1) “Chicago Blackhawks forward Andrew Shaw has been suspended for three games for charging Phoenix Coyotes goaltender Mike Smith during Game 2 of the teams’ Western Conference Quarterfinal playoff series Saturday night in Phoenix, the National Hockey League’s Department of Player Safety (I love that one: ‘the NHL’s Dept, of Player Safety’) announced.”

2) “The National Hockey League’s Department of Player Safety has announced that Nicklas Backstrom of the Washington Capitals has been scheduled for a disciplinary hearing as a result of his cross-check to Boston Bruins forward Rich Peverley at the end of Monday’s game. Backstrom was assessed a match penalty on the play.”

3) “Washington forward Nicklas Backstrom will have a hearing with the Department of Player Safety on Tuesday afternoon for the match penalty he received after cross-checking Boston’s Rich Peverley in the waning seconds of the Bruins’ 4-3 Game 3 victory Monday night at Verizon Center.”

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The Coyotes Mike Smith: What Andrew Shaw brought to the game.

All of this is a result of some chippy, nasty, old-time hockey. Players don’t like each other and none of them have any respect for their opponents (the NHLPA really needs to look at more than just its members’ financial issues). These guys are big and strong and tough and they are proving that when the officials don’t make the calls, they’ll take the game into their own hands. They are also proving that if someone gets in their way, they are big enough, strong enough and hard-nosed enough to go right through him.It’s a fast, collision sport and when something is as important as the Stanley Cup is on the line, the players will do what needs to be done. If officiating that is dictated by the rulebook as it’s written is the order of the day, the players will see no need to take action. But when the officials start “letting it go,” like they did for so many years, the law of the jungle becomes the norm.

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Dougie's boy Colton: Based on what we're watching, he'll be back in the NHL one day soon.

So much for all the people who are calling for an end to fighting in the NHL. Before there is an end to fighting, my old pal Colton Orr will be back in the league.

As writer and producer Paul Thomas Anderson expressed it so succinctly, “There will be blood.” And, at the rate they’re going, there definitely will be.

And based on the talk, the full buildings and the endless media coverage, everybody seems to love it.

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Musings: Discuss Among Yourselves…

Posted on April 16, 2012 by Scott Taylor| Leave a comment
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Kobe

Thinking about the crazy while watching the Penguins and Flyers fight each other, the Lakers win without Kobe and Miguel Cabrera demonstrate that he’s a better fielder than a hitter…

1) The Los Angeles Lakers are 4-1 and have won four games in a row without Kobe Bryant.

Sunday they beat the defending champion Dallas Stars 112-108 in overtime and played with more heart than they usually display. They also got the ball into the big guys – Gasol and Bynum, — and Metta World Peace contributed to the offense. It’s a different team without Kobe, but it’s still a good one. Hard to imagine the Heat would be as good without LeBron or the Thunder would be as good without Kevin Durant.

I’m a big Kobe fan, but the Lakers are learning to live without him. The same way Chicago learned to win without Derrick Rose. That bodes well for the playoffs.

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Couturier scores.

2) Is it just me, or does it really appear as if Sean Couturier is a tremendous two-way hockey player who should be playing for the Winnipeg Jets?

He didn’t appear on the scoresheet in Sunday’s 8-4 win over Pittsburgh, but he was always on the ice. He played nearly 20 minutes, shadowed Evgeni Malkin and contributed in all sorts of ways.

Couturier was available when the Jets participated in their first NHL draft in St. Paul last spring and they passed on him to get Mark Scheifele. Scheifele had a not-bad season in junior this year and was an average player at best on Canada’s national junior team.

I don’t doubt that Scheifele will one day be a good NHL player, but I’d tend to agree with those who think the Jets should trade their No. 9 overall draft pick this spring. The Jets need players who can play now, not players who might be good in 2014.

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Paul Beeston, Toronto's team.

3) Loved the interview with Toronto Blue Jays President and CEO Paul Beeston on Sunday on SportsNet, but I wondered about one of his answers.

Pat Tabler asked Beeston about being Canada’s team and how important that was. Beeston made a big deal out of it. However, here in Winnipeg, the Blue Jays have no presence whatsoever away from the TV screen. And it’s not like they haven’t been asked.

Baseball is going through a renaissance in Winnipeg. Our provincial junior team won the 2010 national championship, more kids are registered with minor baseball than at any time in history, we now boast a college team at the University of Winnipeg and the Winnipeg Goldeyes — a team that Beeston’s friend, Pat Gillick is somewhat responsible for starting — is Canada’s most successful professional baseball franchise outside Toronto.

Let’s cut the crap. Outside of Rogers SportsNet, the Blue Jays are Toronto’s team. Not Canada’s. I know more Cubs, Twins, Yankees and Mariners fans in Western Canada than Blue Jays fans.

4) Whatever happened to the Pittsburgh Penguins?

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Trent Richardson and Courtney Alvis

5) Some guys are just cool. University of Alabama runningback Trent Richardson is cool.

Richardson, who has won two BCS national championships and is being called the best runningback in the draft since Adrian Peterson, attended the Hueytown High School prom this weekend with senior Courtney Alvis.

Courtney was diagnosed with leukemia last year, but she set a goal: She was going to make it to her senior prom. She made it, but nobody asked her to the prom.

Richardson, whose mother is battling cancer, heard about Courtney’s story and stepped up. Cool.

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Aaron Rodgers

6) The Green Bay Packers have overtaken the New England Patriots and are now the favorites to win the 2013 Super Bowl. When the odds opened, two months ago, the Pats were 5/1 to win while Green Bay was 7/1. Here are the odds, from 60 days ago and on Monday morning, courtesy of the MGM Mirage, my favorite book in Vegas.

New England Patriots: 5/1 to 6/1

Pittsburgh Steelers: 6/1 to 12/1

Philadelphia Eagles: 6/1 to 10/1

Green Bay Packers: 7/1 to 5/1

New Orleans Saints: 10/1 to 8/1

San Francisco 49ers: 10/1 to 7/1

San Diego Chargers: 12/1 to 20/1

New York Giants: 12/1 to 15/1

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Lions QB Matt Stafford has a right to smile.

Detroit Lions: 18/1 to 10/1

Atlanta Falcons: 18/1 to 25/1

Houston Texans: 18/1 to 8/1

Dallas Cowboys: 20/1 to 12/1

Baltimore Ravens: 20/1 to 8/1

Indianapolis Colts: 25/1 to 60/1

Chicago Bears: 25/1 to 10/1

Tennessee Titans: 30/1 to 35/1

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 200/1 to 60/1

Cincinnati Bengals: 30/1 to 35/1

New York Jets: 30/1 to 15/1

Buffalo Bills: 50/1 to 50/1

Kansas City Chiefs: 50/1 to 35/1

Minnesota Vikings: 75/1 to 30/1

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Peyton Manning changes everything in Denver.

Denver Broncos: 75/1 to 8/1

Seattle Seahawks: 75/1 to 30/1

Arizona Cardinals: 75/1 to 40/1

Carolina Panthers: 100/1 to 30/1

Miami Dolphins:100/1 to 40/1

Oakland Raiders: 100/1 to 25/1

Washington Redskins: 150/1 to 30/1

Jacksonville Jaguars: 150/1 to 100/1

Cleveland Browns: 150/1 to 80/1

Would you believe that the Detroit Lions at 10/1 have a better chance to win the Super Bowl than the Pittsburgh Steelers (12/1) or the New York Giants (15/1)?

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Paul MacLean

7) It’s amazing, but it seems that more people get deeply passionate about sports than any other subject. Regular reader, Fort Rouge Ted, sent me the following note.

Scotty…it is all a sham and a hoax. Shanny the Sheriff….Bettman the Idiot…..Daly the Egg Head….it doesn’t matter what is said and done, nothing will ever change….never has and never will.

Hockey was a Neanderthal game from Day 1…the underlying number one rule is to hurt your opponent and strike the fear of a beating into his mindset….violence is the order of the day….and retaliation is the golden rule….goonery will always rear its ugly head….bare knuckle fighting has escaped all rules of society….pound the SOB until he is on the ice bleeding and unconscious.

I played the game for 30 years…I know.  Even in the “beer leagues” it got out of hand…..the cops had to be called a few times. I’ve seen rifles pulled out of the trunk in the parking lot all in the spirit of the great game of hockey.

With that said If I was the head coach of the Rangers, within the first five minutes of Game 3, I’d make sure Karlsson’s & Spezza’s seasons were over. You want to play dirty, then you better be ready because now you are playing with the dirtiest. If I were Tortorella, I’d just say, “YOU STARTED IT McLEAN, I’LL END IT!”  I’d cripple both of them.

And that is the great game of hockey in a nutshell and it ain’t changing in our lifetimes.

Cheers,

FRT

Wow! Now that’s serious. And passionate. And maybe crazy.

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We Like Some Western Upsets: Preds, Canucks, Blues and Coyotes in Opening Round

Posted on April 12, 2012 by Scott Taylor| Leave a comment
Jakub Voracek leads Philadelphia Flyers past Pittsburgh Penguins in overtime 4 3 NHL Playoffs Update 144890 300x200 We Like Some Western Upsets: Preds, Canucks, Blues and Coyotes in Opening Round

Jakub Voracek scores the overtime winner as Philly comes back to knock off Pittsburgh.

For some prognosticators, it was quite an inauspicious start to the 2012 Stanley Cup playoffs on Wednesday night.

On Streetz this morning, poor Big Will couldn’t get over how his beloved Pittsburgh Penguins took the third period/overtime gas pipe against the Philadelphia Flyers. He also couldn’t believe that in Games 1, at least, he went 0-3 and started to worry that maybe all of his picks were misguided.

Relax, Willie, every series is a long series.

Here’s a look at Day 1 of the 2012 Post-Season:

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Pascal Dupuis beats Ilya Bryzgalov, who just said, "Bear with me."

Philadelphia 4 Pittsburgh 3 (OT): What a comeback by the Flyers. The Penguins led 3-1 with 10 minutes to go, Philly tied it and Jakub Voracek scored the overtime winner. Brayden Schenn had a goal and two assists for Philly who won another in Pittsburgh. The Flyers are 6-1-0 since Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh opened. Ilya Bryzgalov was rock solid and Philly drew first blood in surprising fashion.

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Pekka Rinne gets it done.

Nashville 3 Detroit 2: Gabriel Bourque had two goals including the winner as Nashville won at home.

Los Angeles 4 Vancouver 2: Winkler’s Dustin Penner scored the winning goal with 3:14 to go in the third period as the Kings went into Vancouver and won. Penner had seven goals all season long and then stepped in the playoff opener. Who would have thought?

Indeed, who would have thought? But that’s what the playoffs are all about. Sometimes, the most surprising people turn out to be the stars.

There are four more series opening on Thursday night: Ottawa starts against the Rangers on CBC Regional at 6; Boston faces Washington on some CBC outlets at 6:30; San Jose plays at St. Louis on TSN at 6:30 and Chicago is at Phoenix on TSN at 9 p.m. The New Jersey at Florida series starts Friday night at 6 p.m. on TSN.

As promised, we’ll look at the Western Conference quarter-finals today. These are the same picks we made on Streetz 104.7 in Winnipeg on Wednesday morning.

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Gabriel Bourque scores one of two in the opener.

Nashville Predators over Detroit Red Wings in six games: This has the potential to be the best series of the lot (the teams tied 3-3-0 this season), but it won’t be for one reason: Nashville’s younger legs. I love the Red Wings. I think they’re well-coached, experienced and they play superb hockey at the Joe, but the playoffs are a young man’s tournament. You have to have young legs to grind this thing out over two months and Nashville is younger and tougher. The Preds also won 4-1 in Detroit on Martch 30 and that was impressive. If you need more proof of Nashville’s supremacy, just look at special teams: The Preds were No. 1 in the NHL  in power play efficiency at 21.6 percent, while the Wings simply weren’t very good all year and finished 22nd overall at 16.1 percent. The penalty-killing unit also favors Nashville who finished 10th (83.6), and were one of only three teams — Vancouver and Pittsburgh were the others — to finish in the Top 10 in both special teams categories. Goaltending and special teams can go a long way in the playoffs and with Pekka Rinne, the Preds have both.

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This will be a great series.

Vancouver Canucks over Los Angeles Kings in seven games: The Canucks won the season series 2-1-1 and while Los Angeles has the best goaltending with Joinathan Quick in net, the Canucks are good enough to keep pace with Roberto Luongo and Cory Schneider. Listen, of all the teams in the playoffs, L.A. was the only team that didn’t score 200 goals while nobody scored more goals in the West than the Canucks (249). Now, in the playoffs, I’m a defense first guy, but I think the Canucks have enough defense and goaltending to win what will be a long, grind-it-out series against a goalie who led the NHL in shutouts this season with 10.

jonathan toews We Like Some Western Upsets: Preds, Canucks, Blues and Coyotes in Opening Round

Will banged-up Jonathan Toews be a factor?

Phoenix Coyotes over Chicago Blackhawks in six games: The Coyotes were better than Chicago all season long as Phoenix won the season series 3-1-0. In their last meeting, the Desert Dogs beat the Blackhawks 3-0 and dominated Chicago in every way. Still, the Hawks are favored because they won the Cup two years and they are loaded with stars while the Coyotes have a terrible playoff history and are loaded with other teams’ castoffs. However, the Coyotes play defense-first, have bought into Dave Tippett’s theory of defense first and will ride unlikely star goalie Mike Smith to a first-round victory. Yes, it will be a surprise, but it will happen.

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Defenseman Alex Pietrangelo will be a force for the Blues.

St. Louis Blues over San Jose Sharks in five games: First of all, it’s the playoffs, so the Sharks will choke agains as they often do in April. Second of all, defense trumps offense in the post-season. During the season, St. Louis finished 49-22-11 as head coach Ken Hitchcock took over a struggling team and made them one of the best in the league. He did it by stopping other teams from scoring. In 2010-11, the Blues were 38-33-11 and in 11th place in the West. They gave up 234 goals last season. This year, as they finished second in the West and tied for second overall in the NHL, the Blues allowed only 165 goals, best in the NHL. They were a plus-45 as a team. The Sharks gave up 210 goals and were plus- 18. St. Louis won all four games between the two teams this season by scores of 4-2, 1-0, 3-0 and 3-1. This won’t last long.

(Listen to Scott Taylor every Monday to Friday from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. on NCI FM and Streetz 104.7 FM in Winnipeg and every Wednesday morning at 10:05 CST on The TEAM 1260 in Edmonton.)

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Despite the Season Records, it’s Hard Not to Love the Rangers, Devils, Bruins and Penguins

Posted on April 11, 2012 by Scott Taylor| Leave a comment

260564 136461316430739 130553823688155 239958 947684 n1 300x179 Despite the Season Records, its Hard Not to Love the Rangers, Devils, Bruins and PenguinsAs we discussed at length this morning on Streetz 104.7, Big Will, Miss Melissa and I have some sharp opinions about the upcoming Stanley Cup playoffs.

For those who have been sleeping under a rock, the 2012 Stanley Cup tournament begins Wednesday night with three games on the slate: Philadelphia plays at Pittsburgh on TSN at 6:30 p.m. with Detroit at Nashville at 7 and L.A. at Vancouver at 9:30 on CBC.

Four more series begin Thursday: Ottawa opens against the Rangers on CBC Regional at 6; Boston faces Washington on some CBC outlets at 6:30; San Jose plays at St. Louis on TSN at 6:30 and Chicago is at Phoenix on TSN at 9 p.m. The New Jersey at Florida series starts Friday night at 6 p.m. on TSN.

As our faithful listeners heard on Streetz 104.7 at 7:45, we picked our Eastern Conference winners. Big Will and I like the Rangers, Pittsburgh, Boston and New Jersey. Miss Melissa likes Ottawa, Pittsburgh, Boston and New Jersey.

Here are my reasons (and we’ll have the West tomorrow):

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Henrik Lundqvist

New York Rangers over Ottawa Senators in six games: The Ottawa Senators had a very nice season after finishing 13th in the East in 2010-11 (32-40-10). Paul MacLean’s Senators went 41-31-10 and won three out of four against the Rangers. But toward the end of the season, the Rangers (51-24-7) got better while the Senators appeared to tail off. Granted, the Rangers were a mediocre 6-4-0 down the stretch, but they’d already wrapped up first place in the East. Meanwhile the Senators were a pretty terrible 4-6-0. Worst of all, with a chance to finish sixth, the Senators lost their final three games while New Jersey won its final six. Can the Senators snap out of it against Henrik Lundqvist? I doubt it.

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Marc-Andre Fleury

Pittsburgh Penguins over Philadelphia Flyers in six games: There are not many reasons to take Pittsburgh in this one. After all, Philly won the season series 4-2-0 and looked good doing it. However, I like the Penguins for two reasons (1) Sidney Crosby is playing this season and (2) Pittsburgh had the best record in the NHL after Jan. 1. Sure, the Flyers are  5-1-0 at Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh since it opened in 2010 (the only loss coming in a meaningless game  last Saturday), but with Pittsburgh healthy, I just don’t think they Pens are prepared to lose. And, I still don’t believe the Flyers goaltending will be good enough. It’s playoff time. It never is.

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Tim Thomas

Boston Bruins over Washington Capitals in four games: The Washington Capitals seemed to feast off the defending champions this season. In fact, you could probably argue that two big wins on March 10 (4-3) and March 29 (3-2 in a shootout), were major reasons why the Capitals made the playoffs and the Sabres didn’t. Washington did win the season series 3-1 although they each scored 13 goals in regulation time. Washington got one more in a shootout and that was the difference. However, it’s now playoff time and I’ll take the team with better goaltending and with all die respect to Tomas Vokoun and Michael Neuvirth, I’ll take Tim Thomas (bat-$@&! crazy politics and all) and Tuukka Rask any day. I’ll also take the team that has experience with the long-term grind that is the Stanley Cup playoffs. And I’ll take that team in a walk.

nhl ap brodeur 580 300x168 Despite the Season Records, its Hard Not to Love the Rangers, Devils, Bruins and Penguins

Martin Brodeur

New Jersey Devils over Florida Panthers in six games: The hottest team in hockey over the last 10 days with six wins in a row, takes on a team that finished first in the very weak Southeast Division. In fact, while Florida has home-ice advantage in this series, it shouldn’t. The NHL’s antiquated divisional alignment gave the league a team with 94 points in third place and a team with 102 points in sixth. Florida went 2-3-5 down the stretch and hung on to first in the Southeast because even while Washington and Tampa played well over the final month, they were so far behind in February, that it didn’t matter. Jersey is healthy, Martin Brodeur is playing well and the Devils went 7-2-1 in their last 10. It’s hard not to like the Devils chances, even if they have to start on the road.

(Listen to Scott Taylor every Monday to Friday from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. on NCI FM and Streetz 104.7 FM in Winnipeg and every Wednesday morning at 10:05 CST on The TEAM 1260 in Edmonton.)

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Part 2: Our 2011-12 Award Winners.

Posted on April 9, 2012 by Scott Taylor| Leave a comment
277 Stamkos Game Photo 3 300x186 Part 2: Our 2011 12 Award Winners.

Steven Stamkos

On Saturday night here in Winnipeg, Steven Stamkos got it done. At 3:29 of the third period, veteran playmaker Martin St. Louis set up Stamkos with his 60th goal of the season.

In a year in which Stamkos was one of only two players in the NHL to score 50 goals, it was nice to see the Jets fans give the young Lightning star a standing ovation. After all, as scoring falls in the NHL, it’s good to have one player who can spark thoughts of Hull, Howe, Gretzky and a young Alex Ovechkin.

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The late Rocket and his trophy.

Regardless, it was the icing on the Rocket Richard Trophy cake. The winner of the award that celebrates the National Hockey League’s leading goal scorer will go to a guy who put up 60. That’s well-deserved and it’s good for the game.

As is Evgeni Malkin’s Art Ross Trophy. Malkin scored 50 goals and dished out 59 assists and was the only player in the NHL to score 100 points. We haven’t seen that since, well, last year when Daniel Sedin was the only player to score 100 points (104). It’s hard to imagine that in 2005-06 and 2006-07, seven players scored at least 100 points and it took at least 120 points to win the Art Ross.

In the meantime, the objective trophies have now been awarded:

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Jaroslav Halak, Jennings Trophy Winner.

Art Ross Trophy – Evgeni Malkin, Pittsburgh Penguins

Rocket Richard Trophy – Steven Stamkos, Tampa Bay Lightning

William M. Jennings Trophy (top goaltending GAA) – Jaroslav Halak and Brian Elliott of the St. Louis Blues (allowed only 163 goals).

On Friday, we picked our first three “subjective” award winners:

Hart Trophy – Evgeni Malkin, Pittsburgh Penguins

Vezina Trophy – Henrik Lundqvist, New York Rangers

Calder Trophy — Gabriel Landeskog, Colorado Avalanche.

Now it’s on to the final four:

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Erik Karlsson

The Norris Trophy, Best Defenseman: We still love Nick Lidstrom and we saw, when he was injured this season, that the Detroit Red Wings were a completely different hockey team without him.

At the midway point of the season, I thought Zdeno Chara, all-star captain and leader of the Boston Bruins, had been remarkable and was clearly the best defenseman in the game again. Here was a guy who had won his first Norris Trophy in 2008-09, and has been the Bruins rock ever since. He set career highs in assists and total points, and tied his best plus/minus mark, all while being the most imposing force on defense in the game – anywhere on the planet.

I even thought Shea Weber and Ryan Suter of the Nashville Predators were contenders.

However, with one of the great second halves I’ve ever watched, my vote would go to Ottawa’s Erik Karlsson. Only 6-foot, 180 pounds, Karlsson is a great defender who can spark an offense. He has 19 goals and 59 assists and with 78 points is not only first in scoring among defensemen, he’s 11th overall in scoring and is third in assists.

More importantly, he was, game in and game out, the best player on an Ottawa Senators team that no one thought would make the playoffs.

Chara will likely win, but my vote goes to Karlsson.

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David Backes

The Selke Trophy, Best Defensive Player: Nhl.com likes Patrice Bergeron of the Boston Bruins and I wouldn’t argue with Pavel Datsyuk, but I also believe there is only one choice for this award: Centre David Backes of the St. Louis Blues.

Backes covers the opposition’s best line on every shift. He starts most shifts as the centre in his own end and wins most of his faceoffs – and almost all the important ones. In fact, Blues coach Ken Hitchcock sends Backes out on to the ice 67 per cent of the time when his team has to start with a faceoff in its own end.

Backes also leads his team in scoring with 24 goals and 30 assists, is a plus-15 and is the leader on the power-play AND the penalty-kill. He plays 20:03 per game ad he’s also a leader on a team that is a remarkable 48-22-11 this season. He was snubbed by those selecting the players to attend this year’s all-star game and because he plays in St. Louis, most of the big-time hockey media mob doesn’t even know who he is, let alone watched him play. However, for those have seen him, Backes is quite clearly the best defensive forward in the game.

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Teemu Selanne

The Lady Byng Trophy, Most Gentlemanly Player: I don’t even have a runner-up for the Lady Byng. There is only one player who is even in the mix: Teemu Selanne.

The fact that he plays the game with passion, is the 33rd leading scorer in the NHL at age 41, seldom gets a dirty penalty, is beloved throughout the league and is such a class act at every possible level that there is no greater gentleman in all of hockey.

I frankly, don’t care about anyone else. Selanne is a player who not only deserves to win this award, he’s a guy who’s entire career exemplifies what this trophy means.

The Jack Adams Trophy, Coach of the Year: Absolutely no doubt about it, Ken Hitchcock of the St. Louis Blues is the coach of the year. Our runners-up would include Paul MacLean of the Ottawa Senators, John Tortorella of the New York Rangers and Barry Trotz of the Nashville Predators.

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Ken Hitchcock and his Blues

Hitchcock’s coaching performance in 2012 is obvious by the numbers. The Blues, who were not expected to make the playoffs this season, finished with a record of 49-22-11 for 109 points, third best in the NHL. Hitchcock went all defense and his players bought in. The Blues allowed only 163 goals this season and as a team were a plus 44. Last year, the Blues were 38-33-11 and with 87 points and missed the playoffs. They gave up 234 goals and were a plus-six as a team. The turnaround is stunning.

Hitchcock replaced Davis Payne early in the season and in a very short time turned the Blues into a Stanley Cup contender. That’s great coaching.

In fairness, MacLean, the former Winnipeg Jets rightwinger got the Senators into eighth place in the East with a record of 27-16-6 after going 32-40-10 on 2010-11. The Sens were one of the worst teams in the NHL last season (13th in the East). This year, they were one of the 16 best.

There is no doubt that MacLean’s efforts have taken a team that was expected to miss the playoffs by a mile this year and turned them into a team that finished just 10 points out of second place in the Eastern Conference

By the way, I have no problem with those people who promote the efforts of Alain Vigneault in Vancouver (President’s Trophy winner), Mike Babcock in Detroit or Dave Tippett in Phoenix. They’ve all done great work.

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Rookie of the Year, Gabriel Landeskog

So here is our final subjective list:

Hart Trophy – Evgeni Malkin, Pittsburgh Penguins

Vezina Trophy – Henrik Lundqvist, New York Rangers

Calder Trophy — Gabriel Landeskog, Colorado Avalanche

Norris Trophy – Erik Karlsson, Ottawa Senators

Selke Trophy – David Backes, St. Louis Blues

Lady Byng Trophy – Teemu Selanne, Anaheim Ducks

Adams Trophy – Ken Hitchcock, St. Louis Blues

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