The Toronto Make Me Laughs

Oh, how I love to pick on the Leafs...


So I found this video someplace the other day. I'm not quite sure where it was posted (maybe pensblog? commentorblog?), so I apologize to whomever for not giving you a shout out, because this video seriously made my day.



This needs to be released to radio or something... or maybe shown on MuchMusic. I see it as a number 1 video.

Thrashers Coach is shown the door.

Bob Hartley, Head Coach of the Atlanta Thrashers, will be looking for a new job. GM Don Waddell fired Hartley today after the Flyers handed the Thrashers their sixth consecutive loss of the season last night.

The news of Hartley's firing was not particularly surprising. In fact, what would have been surprising is if Hartley had stayed. I know it's still very early in the season, but Atlanta's in a tailspin. They ended the 2006-07 season on a high by winning their division, but they were promptly swept from the playoffs by the NY Rangers, and now they are the only team without a win (or a single point) under their belt this season - every other team in the NHL has at least 2 wins and 4 points. The team needed a shake-up, and that's what they got. Waddell should hope that improvement is on the horizon (I mean, how could you get worse?), because the next one to be shown the door will likely be him.
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Yesterday, I wrote about the big Habs/Panthers matchup on TSN. Indeed, the Panthers seem to be Habs-killers.

It seemed as though the Canadiens were going to take the game 1-0, after Kovalev scored on the powerplay less than 3 minutes into the first period. Montreal fans must've been going nuts as the seconds counted down in the third period....and then Horton tied the game with 11 seconds left.

What a way to kill the mood.

Just to make sure the Habs were really dead after that, Florida won the game in a shootout. I'm sure there were grown men crying over that one.

Even Kovalev was upset over that loss, and he chose to vent his anger by criticizing Coach Carbo for not calling a time out late in the game. Frankly, I'm surprised by Kovalev. He went a whole 5 games before criticizing Carbo and the team.

In other Habs news, RDS is reporting that Carey "The Next Patrick Roy" Price will be starting in goal tomorrow night for their game against red-hot Ottawa. Wow, what a way to test the kid. First, you put him out on the ice to face the Penguins, and now he has to face the top line in the NHL of Spezza/Heatley/Alfredsson. Should he put in another great performance, Habs fans nationwide will certainly be lobbying for his promotion from backup.
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If Habs fans are going nuts over their shootout loss to Florida, then Calgary fans are probably rioting in front of the Saddledome. Why is that, you ask? Well, last night, the Flames were up 4-0 against the Avs - and it was an away game! Imagine that, it looked like the Flames were actually going to win a game away from Calgary.

Then things fell apart. Colorado started to play.

The Avs scored. And scored. And scored. And scored again. All 4 goals game in about 13 minutes, give or take, and only one was a PPG. The game went to a shootout, with Wolski getting the game winner for Colorado. Ouch.

I wouldn't want to be in practice with the Flames today. Iron Mike wouldn't be too happy, and I'd prefer to live.
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Tonight is TSN's Eastern Conference Matchup Part 2: Pens and Devils. The Pens had a breakout game in Toronto last Saturday, and hopefully they'll catch Marty Brodeur on a bad night tonight. I also hope that the D is a little better tonight than they have been so far this season. Always room for improvement there.

TSN's Eastern Conference Matchup of the week - Part 1: Habs and Panthers

Tonight's NHL game on TSN features the Montreal Canadiens and the Florida Panthers. It should be an interesting game to watch, since the Florida Panthers tend to be 'Habs Killers' - they won last year's series 3-0-1, and have gone 7-1-3 (+1 tie) since 2003-04.

The Panthers started off slow this season, losing a handful of games, but they're starting to pull things together. A pair of back-to-back wins this weekend definitely put them in the 'upswing' category.

The game will be in Montreal, and the Bell Centre can be a hard place to play for visiting teams. Montrealers like their Habs - and they can be a tad, uh, vocal. That being said, it's not like the Habs are hot like the Sens. They're 2-1-1 so far, which isn't horrible by any stretch of the imagination, but they're coming off a hard 3-1 loss to the 'Canes on Saturday. Carbo is mixing things up a bit and sending messages to those who are still on summer holidays. Out are Latendresse and Begin, and in are Murray and rookie Grabovski. Huet will start between the pipes, fighting to prove to Canada that he has the goods to be the number 1 goalie. Price, on the other hand, is just waiting for another shot to prove that he has the goods to be Montreal's numero uno (or numéro un).

Can the Panthers make it a streak of three wins tonight? They'll need some good ol' fashioned Montreal help for that one - perhaps a Bryan McCabe-like brain fart by Brisebois? Oooooohh I can hear the crowd now...BOOOOO!

Tomorrow night's Eastern Conference matchup (part 2) on TSN features the Pens and the Devils. Got me-self a TV reserved for that one!

Offside! Sweet.

If you get a chance, check out Ken Henderson's website. Here's a peek at what you'll find. Wow Bettman, really?? I never even thought of doing that! This, ladies and gents, is a brilliant man.

Comrie's a bad man.

Remember the first game of the season, when the Ducks and the Kings battled in London? Bernier was great in net for the Kings, and I said that he should stay in LA and anchor the team. Well, looks like this was another case of me jumping to conclusions.

Yes, Bernier was really really good in that game. No, he will not stay with the team this year. The Kings have decided to go with someone else this season (or maybe five someone elses), returning Bernier to the Q in the process. He may be disappointed, but hey, now he’s available for Team Canada this December! That’s good news, eh? We’ll need all the help we can get if we’re going to go for the 4-peat.



Speaking of young Canadian hockey players, it looks like the London Knights are going to lose another star player this year, as Sam Gagner will likely stay in Edmonton (if I’m wrong, don’t blame me – BLAME DREGER!). This young guy barely made Team Canada for last year’s World Juniors, and he was virtually absent from the scoresheet. Fast forward about 7 months and Gagner was tearing it up in the Super Series. His performance there was rewarded by a good look in training camp, and then lo and behold, he proved that he can handle the NHL too, becoming the most consistent player for the Oilers so far this season. He’s currently playing big-time minutes for the Oilers’ top line, logging over 20 minutes in a game against the Canucks late last week. But if he stays with Edmonton, he won't be available for Team Canada in December. *sniff*


And now, let’s talk about Mike Comrie. The guy was a hero in Edmonton, then a villain (along the lines of Chris Pronger and wife), then he played in Phoenix and Ottawa, where he was, um, mediocre? - I guess that describes Comrie. After a Cup run with the Sens, Murray hands him off to Ted Nolan on the Island. So how is the little rich boy doing with the Isles?

Well, he’s doing pretty darn good.

Seven points in five games good.

And Comrie hurt someone in the process. A young boy who has a very influential father with a ‘thing’ for Anna Kournikova. That father is James Duthie, TSN hockey know-it-all, and he recently revealed that Mike Comrie stole his son’s woman! *gasp* And Comrie’s not even ashamed of it! How dare he…doesn’t he know that a 7-year-old boy’s love for Hilary Duff is a special thing that shouldn’t be messed with? Or at least that’s what I get from Duthie’s column…

How can they sleep at night, knowing what they've done to poor Duthie Jr...

New principal at school - Paris Hilton?

Ever wonder what your high school principal would look like in pink shoes, a mini dress and pink hair?

Well, I did. And my wish came true when I saw this photo in my hometown newspaper.

Doug Prescott lost a bet with students. He said that he would dress up in pink if they raised $15,000 for CIBC's Run for the Cure. It was tight (and I'm not just talking about that dress...), but the students came up with the money just before the race started.

For those who do not know Doug Prescott, this is totally and completely out of his character - but I guess it's a good thing that the principal doesn't usually wear pink mini dresses to school. Hard to take him seriously if he looks like a clownish Paris Hilton every day, eh?

Anyway, thank you Mr. Prescott for being such a good sport. And thank you current students for raising the money to allow me to have this photo saved on my computer for eternity...oh, and for raising all that cash for breast cancer research. You rock!

Pens and Leafers on HNIC. Sweet.

PENS WIN 6-4!! Even sweeter!

Sabourin had an eventful first period. He started in goal, let a couple of pucks get past him, and got hurt when Orpik pushed Tucker right into him. Bring in MAF, who looked a bit more solid in the net. He still let in a few goals, but eh.

The Pens' offense was ON FIRE. Six goals, and over 50 shots on goal. Toskala kept it from being a complete blow out.

But just where has the Pens PP been? I think it's still on summer vacation. Hope it decides to come back this season because it's greatly missed. And then just as I wrote this, Sid scored on the PP. Figures.

Speaking of Crosby, he finally broke the big goose egg by scoring his first and second goals of the season. Nice. He's also kicked ass on faceoffs, winning like 75%. Very nice.

Don Cherry still thinks that Crosby shouldn't be captain yet because it's taking his focus off the game a bit. Cherry criticizing Crosby, what else is new..I'm just surprised that he didn't start flattering Jordan Staal, saying how he should've won the Calder Trophy.

A lot of the players were cuddly tonight. Kubina had a couple of holding penalties, McCabe was a grabber too. I think McCabe made a nice little home in the box tonight because he kept doing things to go back. Maybe he put a nice fuzzy teddy bear in the box.

Poor Brooksie. He went to hit the Leafer, and got a big ol' glove and stick in the face and was hurt bad. He looked dazed and confused when the guys practically carried him off the ice. Looked like a concussion to me.

So, the Pens' offense showed up tonight, but I think the D slept late...or didn't wake up at all. Perhaps not as bad as Toronto's D, but still - if the Pens have any slim hope of making it far into the playoffs, the D needs to wake up and actually play a defensive game. I'm just saying..

You have to give Toronto fans a lot of credit for continuing to support their team, even when the product is, um, less than perfect. The Leafs organization has been messed up for years, and they've messed the team up pretty good, but the people still come, and they cheer like they've won the Stanley Cup - even those most of them don't know what that's like.

Thumbs up to the little girl in the Mooseheads jersey and the sign saying that Halifax loves Crosby. Nice to have the Maritimes represented in the crowd.

Ok, so Sid got the first star of the game, I totally agree, but Talbot didn't get any love by CBC?? He only scored 2 goals tonight...

Next Pens game on TV = NJ/PIT on Wednesday night. Can't wait. Go Pens

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Ottawa continues to dominate, winning again tonight against the Rangers. In fact, they won the game in less than 1 minute by scoring 3 goals in 52 seconds. Heatley got his 6th - he could end up with 60+ goals this year. Yikes.

Gerber's an absolute wall. He should have gotten a shutout, but the powers-that-be took that away from him. Stupid war room people. Jagr's goal shouldn't have counted.

Emery's close to coming back to the nation's capital. He just finished his second 'rehab' game in the AHL, where he faced 48 shots, stopping 46. He'd better hope that he keeps it up with the Sens, because Marty's making a really good case for taking his job.

The Bad Boys of Philly, Part 2

You would think that players would have learned from Steve Downie's hit on McAmmond a few weeks back. Okay, so maybe not everyone will learn from that hit, but you would expect that the Flyers would be a little extra cautious in the 'dirty hits' department.

I guess that's asking too much of Philly.

Two nights ago, Jesse Boulerice of the Flyers crosschecked Ryan Kesler of the Canucks in the face, breaking his stick in the process. Here's some lovely video of the incident, courtesy of YouTube, the bestest site in the world.



What's going on in Philly? Why are their players running around and taking people's heads off? Are they on some kind of mind-altering drugs?

Right now, all eyes are on Philly, and it's not the kind of attention they want. The Flyers' organization definitely needs to do something about this team or the NHL bosses will hand Head Coach John Stevens a nice hefty fine. Guys need to know that they can't crosscheck someone in the face. Or skate half the length of the rink, launch yourself into the air and smash your shoulder into someone's head. It's just common sense - which some people apparently lack - and the Flyers' organization hasn't done much to make sure their players know the rules.

In order to drill some common sense back into Boulerice's head, NHL Disciplinarian Colin Campbell has hit him with a 25-game suspension - which ties him with Chris Simon for the longest suspension in NHL history. Not exactly the kind of thing you want to be known for...

We'll see if this suspension 'rehabilitates' Boulerice, but somehow I doubt it. He was handed a 1-year suspension from the OHL in the late 90's for swinging his stick like a bat at Andrew Long's head. Long ended up in the hospital, fighting for his life, and Boulerice was charged with aggravated assault.

It's sad to see this total lack of respect for others in hockey. Maybe 25 games is not enough. Maybe players have gotten used to this type of suspension and don't think it's that bad. Maybe Campbell needs to start putting his foot down and handing out season-long suspensions.

Maybe then guys would think twice before assaulting another player on the ice.

Start saving for the Olympics now!

Who wants to go to the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver/Whistler??? MEEEEE!!!!!!

But wait, I'll have to part with something dearly precious in order to attend. Perhaps my left kidney?

That's about the only way most of us will be able to afford the tix for the Games. VANOC announced their ticket prices today, and some of these prices are more than what I make in a month.

Do you want to attend the kick-ass party also known as the Opening Ceremonies? Fork over between $175 and $1100, and the ticket's all yours.

Perhaps Men's Hockey is more your thing. You'll have to part with $755 shiny loonies to get the best seats at the gold medal game (or only $450 and $350 for nosebleed seats), making this the most expensive (sporting) event to attend at the Vancouver Games.

Women's Hockey? Those tix are being sold for as little as $25 a pop. What the frig? This speaks volumes as to the status of women's hockey compared to men's hockey. I bet these el-cheapo tickets are for the Italy-Japan games anyway - there's no way these tix would get you in to see Wickenheiser and the girls play the so-called evil enemy.

About half of the tickets will be under $100, which ain't too bad, considering it's the OLYMPICS...and the Games are in OUR country. I'm guessing that most of these cheap tix will be to outdoor events, like cross-country skiing, where you can watch people ski past you for only $25. Once in a lifetime, peoples, once in a freakin' lifetime...

But if you're like me and you are drooling at the idea of watching the competition live and in person, you'd better start saving those loonies now. Tickets go on sale October 11th...2008. And they will sell out fast, real fast.

You might also want to work on finding a new friend in the Greater Vancouver area, because something tells me that it will be hard to find a hotel room, or even a vacant cot in the lobby of a shaddy motel.

Pens and Habs, Habs and Pens...who won? Not us.

Yesterday was a day of excitement. People across North America and around the world were thrilled that the Pens were playing. Never mind that it was only their 3rd of 82 games in the regular season - we always get excited when our team plays! I, myself, had a little extra spring in my step. I turned on the internet radio to listen to Lange and Bourque call the game, and I switched on to Game Day Chat so that others could tell me what happened 30 seconds before I actually heard Lange describe the play.

Then, it happened.

Carey Price happened.

True, yesterday I was a tad cautious by not calling him the second coming of St. Patrick, and I'm not quite ready to go there just yet. But wow, Price certainly did put on a show last night at the Igloo. If he keeps it up, Gainey will look like a genius for keeping him in the big league and Price will be knocking on Huet's door for the number one spot. Montreal fans are always looking for a top-flight player to cheer for, and they may force Carbo's hand if Price plays like an MVP.

I really like this kid, and he deserves a lot of credit for standing tall last night.

But did it have to be against the Penguins??