Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Phoenix Coyotes: The End Of A (Forgettable) Era?

Goodbye Coyotes.
        
Go to Google. Type in Phoe. The first thing you will see: Phoenix Coyotes. But will this be the case, say, 2 weeks from now?

The Coyotes have had a, to say the least, a bumpy 16 years in the NHL. Lack of fans, and very poor performances on ice have definitely had a big impact when the team filed for bankruptcy in 2009. With no buyers, the team was bought by the NHL. Jim Ballsille, CEO of Research In Motion, tried buying the team and relocating it to Hamilton, Ontario.  The NHL did not approve. But why?  More people can fill Copps Coliseum then there are people who know Hockey exist in the desert.  Canada only has 6 NHL teams, and 5 in the AHL. Isn’t Hockey a Canadian Sport? Guess not. Hockey can’t survive in Atlanta, Phoenix, Columbus, Florida and New York (ISLANDERS). So why not move a team back to Canada? In what world would hockey survive in a place that isn’t cold enough to have Ice in the first place? Why take it away from Winnipeg? Wake up Bettman! THE TIME IS NOW!!!! Actually, the time should have never came, Hockey belongs in the NHL, NOT IN AN AREA THAT DOESN’T EVEN GO BELOW FREEZING POINT!!!

If the Jets are not back in Canada next year, Bettman, I want you fired.

Friday, April 15, 2011

Who Will be This Year's Playoff Hero?

Could We See Shane Doan Back In Winnipeg?





Jaroslav Halak. Antii Niemi. Sammy Pahlson. Cam Ward. Dustin Byfuglin. Those names come to mind when thinking of past playoff hero's for their teams. Only problem is that other then Byfuglin and possibly Ward, they have had mediocre seasons afterwards. Niemi led his team to the 2010 finals, but was shaky. This year his San Jose Sharks are a serious contender for the cup, but it’s not been because of his play.

Here are some players who might come up big for their teams this spring:

Carey Price (Montreal): Halak’s performance last season is still fresh in the minds of all people. Especially Price. He was demoted to backup after bad play forced Montreal to use Halak, who played outstanding. There is pressure on Carey to perform. After winning game one against Boston, though, some may think Halak has returned. Just in a #31 jersey.

Jordan Staal (Pittsburgh): With injuries to Crosby and Malkin, the Penguins have a lot of work to do, with little offense. Formerly a 3rd line center, Staal has been forced to play big minutes and produce points for the battered Pittsburgh squad. If Staal doesn’t perform, who will?

Joe Thornton (San Jose): This can apply to all of the Sharks, but this player in general needs a Cup. The former 1997 first rounder has been the Sharks best player since getting 125 points in 2005-2006, his first year with the club. San Jose has not played well in the Post-season the last few years, so anything less than a cup is a complete failure.

Shane Doan (Phoenix): This team needs leadership. They have been through so much in previous years, and this may be the end. If they don’t get fans QUICK, they are done. Winnipeg is knocking on the door. The Coyotes need to play like it’s the end, because, in reality, it probably is the end.

Roberto Luongo (Vancouver): Vancouver’s time has come. 40 years. Luongo has won at every level, except the NHL. Think there’s is pressure on everybody to repeat this seasons success. Roberto needs to step it up. His playoff performances have......been less then stellar.

Roman Hamrlik (Montreal): The defence in Montreal has taken a huge hit this season. Half the NHL is there defence. With no Gorges or Markov, the time is now for Roman to step it up. He may never have a chance again to go far. His high salary will not get much interest this summer unless the potential UFA steps up to the plate.


Patrice Bergeron (Boston): Bergeron hasn't exactly been the player all Bruins fans were hoping for. Boston has a strong team this time around. Even without Marc Savard. But if Boston doesn't go far....... They need to make some moves. Bergeron needs to step his game up. 

Friday, April 1, 2011

What Needs To Be Done To Get Rid Of Headshots?



Marc Savard May Never Play Again. Is This What You Want, NHL?
 It's only a matter of time before someone dies from headshots.
                
For a long time fighting was the talk of The NHL. But with the percentage of fighting going down, it's not an issue anymore. Sidney Crosby, Marc Savard, Max Pacioretty, Andy McDonald, David Perron, Kurt Sauer, Ratis Ivananis, Mathew Lombardi, Jim Slater, Peter Mueller..... need I Continue? Do we want to see someone die? What if Pacioretty died from his hit by Chara? Would the NHL Do something then?


Air Canada, one of the NHL's largest financial corporate backers, is threatening to withdraw its sponsorship if the league doesn't take "immediate" and "serious" action on headshots. So far, the only thing Gary Bettman has done is that all players have to be checked out by team doctors to see if he is fine. If that's all that’s getting done........Air Canada won't be the only major company backing out.


Players WILL die if the rules stay the way they are. Players need to be SEVERLY punished. Of Course some no talent, 4th line thug will go try to take off Alex Ovechkin’s head. What does he have to lose? A 5 game suspension? Wow... So now he doesn’t play his 2-3 minutes a game? What about Ovechkin? What if he can never play again? That’s a little price to pay for knocking out a superstar for a long period of time.


Mario Lemieux is fed up. He wrote a letter to the NHL suggesting actions the league should take.  The fines for teams with a suspended player would range from $50,000 for a one- or two-game suspension to $1 million for a team whose player is suspended for more than 15 games.


 "The current system punishes the offending player but does very little to deter such actions in the future. We need to review, upgrade and more clearly define our policies in this regard, so that they can provide a meaningful deterrence and effectively clean up the game,” said Lemieux, who is faced with the decision of what to do with Matt Cooke, who has a history with headshots. On March 7, 2010 game against the Boston Bruins in which Cooke delivered a blow to the head of Savard, causing a concussion. Savard missed almost two months, and Cooke was not suspended.


When Daniel Paille of the Bruins injured Raymond Sawada, it was clear he was head hunting. Andrew Ference made it clear that it was unacceptable, calling out his teammate on a radio station.


"I mean it’s a bad hit, right? That’s what they’re trying to get rid of and you can’t be hypocritical about it when it happens to you, and say its fine when your teammate does it. It’s a hit they’re trying to get rid of. I mean you hear it from every player after they do it, they feel bad, and same thing, I talked to Danny and he feels bad. It’s tough, that back checking forward, to make those kind of hits, and it’s so hard to do it in a clean fashion, with the new rules. It is what it is. He hurt the guy, and I’m sure he’ll have a conversation."

So What Needs To Be Done?

Suspend the player long term. Not 2 games, not 5, BUT 20-82 games. Players don’t play hockey to get hurt and have mental illness. If the players realize its not worth getting suspended for long periods of time, they may stop.

Syko

Twitter.com/sykoshockeybuzz