2011 Toronto Sportsmen’s Show
January 4, 2011
The 2011 Toronto Sportsmen’s Show - Canada’s BIGGEST Fishing & Outdoor Show!
runs March 16th to March 20th at the METRO TORONTO CONVENTION CENTRE. Wanna catch a great show? Come and visit, its a Blast. I go every year and suggest you do too.
TOsports website is Down for Maintenance… We’re working on it and should be back soon, very soon!!
February 3, 2010
We got Hacked, yes Hacked! I guess now we’re in the same league as the FBI, BBC and Microsoft. Must be the work of a Sens or maybe even a Habs fan… the douchebag!!
Team Canada II: What If Canada Sent a Second Hockey Team?
January 18, 2010
By Mark “The Hard Hitter” Ritter… For years, many Canadian fans have debated whether Canada could send more than one team to the Olympics and be successful. With that in mind, I thought it might be interesting to draft Team Canada II.
Obviously, any and all players chosen by Steve Yzerman and Co. are off the table. That said, Canada is deep in talent at every conceivable position, so there will be no problem drafting a second team.
For the purposes of this exercise I will draft 12 forwards, six defensemen and two goalies. Much like Team Canada itself, I will put an emphasis on building a “team,” not simply throwing out the players with the best statistics.
Criteria for the players will include, offensive stats, plus/minus rating, face-off percentages, checking abilities, special teams ability, skating, past participation in the program/Olympics, speed, and leadership.
Goalies:
Cam Ward: Through 30 games, Ward has a record of 9-15-5, posting a 2.88 goals against average and a .907 save percentage, not bad considering your team (Carolina Hurricanes) is sitting with a 14-24-7 record.
The Hurricanes are ranked 29th overall in both goals for and goals against, leading me to believe that, despite his team’s misfortunes, Ward’s numbers are solid.
Ward is a former Stanley Cup winner (2005-06) and a Conn Smythe Trophy winner (2005-06) to boot. He is more than capable of stealing a game and he has the ability to get hot in stretches—as seen in the 2008-09 Stanley Cup playoffs.
Ward most recently represented Canada at the 2006-07 and 2007-08 World Cup, winning gold in 2007 and silver in 2008. Ward posted combined totals of nine wins and one loss with a 2.39 goals against average and a .908 save percentage.
When everything is all said and done, Ward gets the nod as Team Canada II’s starting goalie.
Dwayne Roloson: With a record of 18-7-6 through 31 games with the New York Islanders, Roloson, who just might be the NHL’s most underrated goaltender, is a must-have for Team Canada II.
The Islanders have a 20-19-6 record on the season; the fact that Roloson has accounted for 18 of those wins is phenomenal. Simple math tells us that Roloson has started in goal for 90 percent of his team’s wins.
With a save percentage of .913, Roloson ranks fourth overall, his 2.70 goals against average ranks him seventh overall, making Roloson a prime candidate to assume the No. 2—if not No. 1 goaltending assignment for Team Canada II.
Forwards:
Left Wing- Centre- Right Wing-
Mike Cammalleri Steven Stamkos Shane Doan
Patrick Sharp Vincent Lecavalier Nathan Horton
Alex Burrows Jeff Carter Brad Richards
Ryan Smyth Jordan Staal Scottie Upshall
The first line of Mike Cammalleri, Steven Stamkos, and Shane Doan combines grit (Doan), scoring prowess (Stamkos) and the ability to create offense (Cammalleri).
Stamkos, while young, has already established himself as an elite NHL player, and with the additions of veterans Doan and Cammalleri, would be capable of leading Team Canada II offensively.
The second line of Patrick Sharp, Vincent Lecavalier and Nathan Horton combines hard work (Sharp), scoring ability (Lecavalier & Horton) and grit (Horton). Sharp, Lecavalier and Horton all have their fair share of supporters and critics; I am relying on their Canadian pride, heart, and integrity to get them through, emerging as a solid unit rather than individual players.
The third line of Alex Burrows, Jeff Carter, and Brad Richards is capable of providing offense and shutting the opposition down. All three players are comfortable on any line and in any situation. It is this versatility that makes this line so important.
The fourth line of Ryan Smyth, Jordan Staal, and Scottie Upshall would be an absolute nightmare to compete against.
Smyth, Staal and Upshall represent three of the hardest working players in the entire NHL and, much like the third liners, are not opposed to playing on any line and/or in any situation.
Other Notables: Dustin Penner, Mike Knuble, Wayne Simmonds, Mason Raymond, Kris Versteeg, Rene Bourque
Defensemen
Mike Green Dion Phaneuf
Jay Bouwmeester Rob Blake
Willie Mitchell Marc Staal
Kyle Quincey
Other Notables: Ed Jovanovski, Cam Barker, Jeff Shultz, Brian Campbell
Blessed with speed, power, scoring ability and leadership, Team Canada II looks good on the back end with the likes of Mike Green, Dion Phaneuf, Jay Bouwmeester, Rob Blake, Willie Mitchell, Marc Staal, and Kyle Quincey leading the way.
Green and Phaneuf bring a great combination of size, skill and offensive ability, while Bouwmeester and Blake bring great skating ability (Bouwmeester), size and leadership (Blake).
Willie Mitchell and Marc Staal would be tasked with shutting down the opposition while Kyle Quincey can fill just about any role in the event that there is an injury.
Power Play:
1st unit:
Cammalleri—Stamkos—Horton
Green—Phaneuf
2nd unit:
Sharp—Lecavalier—Carter
Blake—Bouwmeester
Penalty Kill:
1st unit:
Smyth—Staal—
Staal—Mitchell
2nd unit:
Doan—Upshall
Phaneuf—Bouwmeester
As with any tournament, special teams are going to be a huge factor in any teams success at the Olympics. As such, I chose the power play units with an emphasis put on scoring goals and offensive creativity.
Alternatively, the penalty kill units were put together with the sole purpose of shutting down the opposition in mind. Both Brad Richards and Jordan Staal have a reputation for scoring short-handed goals, which, while not a huge factor in my selections, will give the opposition something to think about nonetheless.
There you have it, Team Canada II. Disagree with my selections? Left somebody out? There are bound to be 50 different takes on this list, all of them legitimate in their own way. Let me hear your opinions in the comment box!
Until next time,
Peace!
Ritter’s Rant: NHL in Saskatoon? Penguins PP is Brutal & More
December 17, 2009
By Mark “The Hard Hitter” Ritter… NHL commissioner Gary Bettman doesn’t get everything right, and in some cases, NHL fans feel he needs to have his head examined. With that said, Bettman’s announcement that he would like to see a second Winter Classic game added in Canada is refreshing and by all accounts, a no-brainer.
I still like the idea of hosting a Winter Classic in Winnipeg, Manitoba, at the Canad Inns Stadium—home of the Canadian Football League’s Winnipeg Blue Bombers—but I am not so sure the aforementioned Bettman will allow that to happen. More likely, a Winter Classic would be held in Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver, or Calgary.
Word has it the NHL would look to hold the second Winter Classic a week or two after the traditional New Year’s day game, which, to me, goes against tradition. Bettman would never do that (go against tradition), would he? Best bet, Calgary gets a game with the Vancouver Canucks being the opponent.
The Ice Edge Group wants to include Saskatoon in their plans to purchase the Phoenix Coyotes. Seems Ice Edge has its sight on playing five games in Saskatoon as part of the Coyotes regular season schedule, something the NHL is surely to frown upon.
On the surface, it may appear as if the Ice Edge Group may be delusional, that said, clearly Ice Edge believes they can make a considerable amount of money off the proposed five-game deal, something the Coyotes rarely do at their current home in Glendale.
The reality is the Phoenix Coyotes are losing upwards of $5 million every month, which equates to roughly $35 million in loses for 2009-10. The current situation in Phoenix does not work, so creative thinking like bringing the NHL to Saskatchewan may be one of many ideas the NHL will have to consider if they want to turn this sinking ship around.
Which leads me to this question: If the Ice Edge Group believes the Coyotes cannot work on its own merit out in Phoenix, why the HE-double-hockey-sticks are they considering purchasing the team?
I have to admit, I got pretty hot over the idea of the NHL considering changing the names of the historic trophies. Seems our friends from the South are having trouble identifying with the likes of Lord Stanley, Jack Adams, Georges Vezina, and the like.
Just one question: Does anyone think the NFL would ever consider changing the name of the Vince Lombardi Trophy? Suck it up Sally! Know the game, know the trophies, and most importantly, know your history!
Bruce Boudreau was 100 percent right in calling out Colorado Avalanche forward David Koci for his ugly hit on Washington Capitals defenseman Mike Green. Clearly, Koci had Green in his sights for a long time and from my point of view, had every intention of trying to injure Green. It was a cowardly act, and one that should not go unpunished by the NHL.
For the record, Koci has two career NHL goals in 97 games, what a waste of a roster spot.
Is there a team in the NHL that gets less respect than the Nashville Predators? Through 34 games, the Predators have amassed a record of 20-11-3, good enough for 43 points. More importantly, the Predators sit second in the Central Division, just two points behind the Chicago Blackhawks and eighth overall in the NHL. Well done!
Tell me again, why is it, year after year, that the Pittsburgh Penguins always seem to have one of the worst power plays in the League? The Penguins, a team that features Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Sergei Gonchar, currently sit 29th overall on the PP with a success rate of just 13.9 percent. Pathetic…
In case you didn’t know, Gabe Morency (formally of The Score ) recently launched his new Web site. Louis Pisano and I will be throwing down our second installment of our podcast “Get The Puck Out ” this Saturday, Dec. 19, from 6p.m. to 7p.m.
The live podcast will be broadcast in studio from Toronto featuring some betting analysis, team analysis, player updates, and more puck talk than you can imagine.
Be sure to call in and let your opinion be known. You can catch Morency (Monday through Friday from 4p.m.-6p.m. EST) and “Get The Puck Out” (Saturdays from 6p.m.-7p.m.) at www.morencysports.com.
To phone in, call 1-866-964-5710 . SPORTS RAGE—it’s the “Evolution of the Ragulation”…..Don’t miss it, puckheads!
Until next time,
Peace!
Analyze This: How To Improve the NHL
December 10, 2009
By Mark “The Hard Hitter” Ritter… Over the years, many fans have chimed in with their thoughts on how to improve the National Hockey League. Needless to say, the NHL is not perfect, but with a little tweak here and there I think the League, and the game could be better.
Clearly, I am not NHL commissioner Gary Bettman so I suspect many of my thoughts on how to improve the NHL will likely fall on deaf ears. That said, much like any fan, I feel the game can be improved so I felt compelled to throw out a few ideas.
First, I would instigate a no-touch icing rule. Far too many NHL players are sustaining injury as a result of racing into the boards for the puck. Fact is, the players of today are too big, too fast, and when you consider that many NHL players livelihoods are on the line every shift, it is too much to ask the players to hold up on an icing play.
For the most part, there are very few occasions in a game that a race for the puck to get an icing call actually has an impact on the end result. We have reached a point where the risk of getting injured is far outweighing the reward of getting that coveted icing call. Numerous players have been brought off the ice on a stretcher because they ended up on the wrong end of a bad hit on an icing call, and it is my opinion that one day soon a player may very well be paralyzed as a result of a insignificant race for the puck. Simply put, it’s not worth it.
I grew up watching hockey in the 1980’s. When I look back at my O-Pee-Chee card collection one thing stands out, the equipment was much smaller then. Look at the size of the shoulder pads today, NHL players look more like football players, and from my point of view, the extra bulk is not necessary and, in fact, is dangerous.
Many of the so-called “head shots” everyone is so concerned about are not a result of an errant elbow, they are a direct result of a player’s bloated shoulder pads getting caught underneath an unsuspecting player’s chin leading to head trauma and more than a few missing teeth.
Due to the security that the over-sized shoulder pads offer a player, many NHL players play with recklessness—void of fear and unafraid of the consequences to themselves or their opponents. There is no accountability.
The fact is, hockey players were just fine when they were equipped with what I will call “reasonably” sized shoulder pads. There is no reason for today’s players to use the massive shoulder pads, and there is no reason for the shoulder pads to be as hard as they are.
Simply put, by definition, these are supposed to be “shoulder pads”, not highly sophisticated manufactured plastics. Bring back the pads…
Sticking with the equipment theme, another area of concern is (and you knew this was coming), the size of the goaltenders equipment. I shudder every time I look out onto the ice and see “the Michelin Man” in the net. Simply put, the goaltender’s equipment has reached the point of ridiculousness, and until the NHL gets serious about it, they are allowing the goaltenders to cheat their way through their careers.
Seriously, look back at some of the photos over the past three decades, the increases in size to both the pads and the gloves are a joke! Despite the NHL’s recent implementation of a more standardized equipment size for goalies, there seems to be little to no real changes being made. Most goalies stand between 6-0 and 6-4 these days, add to that the mammoth equipment and the shooters have very little chance of scoring, which, in my opinion, hurts the game.
Visors. Every NHL player should be required to wear a visor, end of story. Look around at today’s NHL and what you will observe is that almost every superstar wears a visor; if Sidney Crosby, Alex Ovechkin, and Jarome Iginla can wear a visor and get the results they do than every NHL player can and should be wearing one.
I do not buy the argument that the visors are dangerous. I also don’t buy the argument that visors restrict a player’s vision, and with all the recent improvements, we no longer see the visor fogging up as they once did. Therefore, visors should be mandatory.
This brings us to helmets. Recently, NHL legend Mark Messier got behind the Cascade M11 Helmet, which is designed to absorb impact, protect the head, and most importantly, significantly reduce the risk of a player getting a concussion. Far too many NHL players have had their careers cut short by concussions, and while not the only reason, poor helmet choice is a factor for many players.
Again, if a piece of equipment can protect you from a career-ending injury such as a concussion, then why not make it mandatory. Here is a quirky stat I came across the other day: The first testicular guard, or “cup” was used in hockey in 1874. The first helmet was used in 1974. It took 100 years for NHL players to realize that the brain was also important!
If left to figure it out for themselves, it may very well be another 100 years before NHL players start wearing the “right” equipment. Again, if the NHL made it mandatory, they could speed things up significantly and save a few careers in the process.
Mouthguards. Many NHL players are already using mouthguards. They offer a considerable amount of protection against concussions, and when combined with the proper helmet, they can significantly reduce the likelihood of a player ever getting a concussion. Once again, mouthguards should be mandatory.
Let the goalies play the darn puck! When I look back at when former Philadelphia Flyers goaltender Ron Hextall became the first goaltender to score a (uninterrupted) goal, I thought his ability to handle the puck would revolutionize the NHL game.
For a while, it did as many NHL goaltenders adapted to playing the puck and, in some cases such as the New Jersey Devils Martin Brodeur, playing the puck gave his team such an advantage that opposing teams had to devise a way to deal with the dangers that Brodeur’s puck-handling ability posed.
Eventually the NHL stepped in and instigated rule changes that essentially took away any advantage the goaltenders had from playing the puck, most notably those annoying red lines at the side of the nets behind the goal-line. It was asinine for the NHL to adopt a rule change based on the abilities of a few NHL goaltenders.
Let’s face it, there are very few goalies that were ever a threat with the puck and for that reason, the NHL should have left things as they were. Get rid of the lines!
Clearly, not everyone will agree with my recommendations, as former Toronto Raptors TV announcer Chuck Swirsky used to say, “That’s why they have chocolate and vanilla, baby!” Let your thoughts be known in the comment box. What changes would you make?
In case you didn’t know, Gabe Morency (formally of The Score ) recently launched his new Web site. Louis Pisano and I will be throwing down our podcast “Get The Puck Out ” starting this Saturday, Dec. 12, from 6p.m. to 7p.m.
The live podcast will be broadcast in studio from Toronto featuring some betting analysis, fantasy advice, trivia, team analysis, player updates, and more puck talk than you can imagine.
Be sure to call in and let your opinion be known. You can catch Morency (Monday through Friday from 4p.m.-6p.m. EST) and “Get The Puck Out” (Saturdays from 6p.m.-7p.m.) at www.morencysports.com.
To phone in, call 1-866-964-5710 . SPORTS RAGE—it’s the “Evolution of the Regulation”…..Don’t miss it, puckheads!
Until next time,
Peace!
Raptors Lose, Turkoglu Still A Trainwreck
December 2, 2009
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