One of MacMillans greatest memories from his years at the University of Denver was guiding the Pioneers to the 1960 National Championship by defeating the John MacInnes-coached Michigan Tech Huskies in Boston. MacMillan had scored two goals in the final minute that led the Pioneers 5-3 win, including the game-winner. A now-famous story that emerged from the victory has to do with MacMillan getting the game-winning puck. But as MacMillan explains, a National Championship title and the puck werent the only things that he took home from that memorable event.
I had the game-winning goal and I had another goal in the last minute. One won the game and the other one was an empty netter. I think it was someone from Denver ended up with the puck somehow. I do still have that puck, although I can't remember who saved the puck. Bob Martin, who did the radio for Denver for years, got a letter from somebody saying that they had recorded the game over the radio. I still have a tape at home of the recording of the whole game that somebody gave me, so that was pretty awesome to get it. But again, it was a Denver fan that had recorded it and gave it to me.
After leaving DU in 1960, MacMillan went on to play in both the NHL and the AHL. At the time, his rights were held by the New York Rangers. But a bit of luck and the prejudices against U.S. collegiate players at the time would play crucial roles in MacMillan ending up with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Earlier in the season when I was at DU in 1959-60, we went up to play at Michigan Tech, and Bob Davidson, who was the head scout for the Toronto Maple Leafs, came down to watch a game. We were sitting around eating breakfast one morning and he came over and said my name is Bob Davidson and Id like to talk to you. So I went over and talked to him for a little while, and I didnt think much about it.
When I decided to go to DU, the Rangers released me. They didnt want any part of me anymore, so they dropped me from their "Protected List. Any professional club who thought that was I worth a hoot could pick me up. The Leafs put me on their List after Davidson had talked to me. Thank God, Connie (Conn Smythe) had moved on by the time I was Protected by Toronto because he didn't think much of U.S. college players. Ol Connie would basically say we dont want any of those candy-ass collegiate kids in our league or on our club. Davidson came to the game when we played Tech because Louie Angotti, who played for Tech, had been with the Toronto Marlboros before he went to Michigan Tech. I think Louie was pretty highly regarded. He called Davidson and told him that he should have a look at me. Eventually I received a letter from Toronto inviting me to their camp and the rest is history.
MacMillan spent roughly three and a half years with the Toronto Maple Leafs, winning two Stanley Cups with them. MacMillans teammates on those Maple Leaf teams read like a Hockey Hall of Fame Whos Who. But it was playing for the legendary George Imlach that he remembers most fondly about his time in Toronto.
When I was in Toronto, Imlach had acquired Al (Arbour) from Chicago. And we were sort of like in a farm system. Back then a farm system would have maybe have a defenseman, a goaltender, and a forward that would go back and forth (from the big club). Imlach was good to me. I mean theyve got all these Marlies that I was playing with in Rochester, but I was the kid that Punch chose to run back and forth. That was good for me. Al was the defenseman, and I was like the tenth forward. So when youre doing that, you feel like youre a part of the team, but you also dont feel like youre a part of the team. You get to do that a little bit and you work hard to stay there. A lot of the players with Toronto at that time had come up through the Marlies organization. And Punch just came in and worked his magic with all of the personalities. He had a real feel for being able to get more out of people than probably a lot of other people could. Some guys didnt like him, and some people had bad things to say about him. He brings up Johnny Bower, who was something like 40 years old, and gets five, six great years out of him. You would hear the names (Frank) Mahovlich, Red Kelly, Tim Horton, Bobby Baun, Carl Brewer and all of those guys. Wow! You want to try to break into a tough lineup? Try and get into that lineup! So when I hear those names, I get all choked up from just having been around them.
Punch was always honest with me and he gave me every opportunity to try to get me to do what he wanted to me to do. I was playing pro for, oh maybe one or two years and I remember Bobby Kromm was coaching in Trail (BC), and Trail had won the Allen Cup and would be going to the World Hockey Championships. It was in 61, 62 somewhere in there. At the time, the Allen Cup in Canada used to be symbolic of the team that would go to the World Championships, and then later they changed all of that. So I called Kromm and I told him who I was and where I was. He said I know who you are. So I said Well, Ive got my degree in Engineering and Id love to go to Europe with you. Ive always wanted to go to Europe, just to play and see it. So he said if you can get your Amateur Card, then youre here. So I went to camp, worked hard and never said a word to anybody. I was still with the Leafs and then it came time for me to go talk to Punch. It wasnt a helluva lot of fun, but you had to go talk to Punch. (Laughs) So I talked to Punch and we got to talking, then I said I want to tell you that I called Bobby Kromm and this is what Id really like to do. Then Punch said I wont do that for you, simply because Eddie Shore will pick you up. And then he said If you dont go play for him, youll never play hockey again because he wont release you. Hell just hang on to you and that would be the end of anything that youd ever want to do. So I didnt get my Amateur Card and I didnt go to Europe.
In todays NHL, each member of the Stanley Cup winning team gets to spend a day with Lord Stanleys Cup. For MacMillan, his day came one summer day in August of 2005. While his time with the Cup in Milk River is well documented, an equally entertaining, if not more hilarious story was that of his travels with it to the border town of Sweetgrass, Montana.
One day, I think it was Friday or Saturday, we were all sitting around and Mike (Mike Bolt, one of the keepers of Lord Stanleys Cup) said, d really like to take the Cup to Montana because theres no reason that itll ever go there, but its been in all these states and Id like to think someday that its been in every state in the United States. So I said, hell, its only 13 miles from Milk River to Sweetgrass. So lets go. So he says what well do is throw in the back (of the truck), well just go down there and well take a picture. He wanted to go down there, hold the Cup under the Welcome to Montana sign and take a picture. Then he says I dont want to report that I have the Cup. And I said if you go through there (the border) and coming back they decide that they want to search you and you cant sell them on the fact that you dont have what you shouldnt have at the border, and they find that Cup, then youre going to spend hours there explaining why you have the Stanley Cup. So we convinced him that he should stop and tell them that he has the Cup and what hes going to do. So we go through towards the American side. He pulls up (at the border), rolls down his window, and the guy begins asking him all the questions. So then he sticks his head out the window and asks the guy do you know what the Stanley Cup is? The guy looked at him like what do you think, Im stupid or something? And then Mike says ve got it in the back Then the guy says ve got the Stanley Cup in the back of that SUV? Mike says . Then the guy says pull over and bring it in.
So we parked out in front and brought it in. By that time, the guy had already left the window, gone inside and everyone in the place knows that the Stanley Cup is coming through the front door. So we come in and then he says to us mon, weve got a plan. So we all got onto an elevator, went up to the second floor and theres a balcony in the U.S. Customs area in Sweetgrass, Montana that you could stand with one leg in Canada and one leg in the U.S. So they sit the Cup so it splits the line there and then all these U.S. immigration people are up there taking their pictures with the Cup. And theyre no different than a class of ten-year-olds getting their pictures taken with the Stanley Cup. Plus, they get on the phone and you can see this balcony from the Canadian side. And they holler out at the guys over there and said take a look out the window and see what weve got. You could see the Stanley Cup up there (in the balcony). So all of a sudden, here come all of these Canadians running towards the border. I dont know how long we spent there with everyone getting their pictures taken. Finally that was all done. Then we drove out of Sweetgrass and started up the hill and theres the sign that says, Welcome to Montana. So we pulled over to the side of the road. We pop the lid of the box that the Cup is in and get it out. We walked through this knee-high grass, through the ditch and up on the edge. Then Mike says take my picture first. So hes holding the Cup under the sign and we take his picture. Then he says Now John you take a hold of it and get under there and well take your picture. So as were doing all of this, this big 18-wheeler goes by and his (the drivers) head turns and he sees the Cup. Well then, here comes another big 18-wheeler, and he just pulls over to the side of the road and stops maybe four feet from us. Then the guy jumps out and asks is that the Stanley Cup? then Mike says . Right away this guys asks can I hold it? Can I get my picture taken with it? Of course Mikes very accommodating. So heres this guy standing in front of his truck holding the Stanley Cup getting his picture taken. He was just beside himself with excitement that this has happened. So we had a great time with it. We really did. It was fun to have it there.
With all of his success, John MacMillan remains humble and grounded. He is genuine with a gentle humor. And he is also one of the most personable individuals that you could ever meet. Now approaching his mid-70s, MacMillan is still as passionate and enthusiastic about hockey as he probably was the first time he ever laced up a pair of skates. Whether its stories and recollections about his wonderful family or the game that he loves, he will always share them with a smile.
Johnny Mac often describes his life experiences as incredible.
Well, Johnny Mac himself is pretty incredible too.
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In addition, Grand Rapids announced that it has received center Aaron Gagnon on loan from the Dallas Stars, who are without an American Hockey League affiliate this season.
The Griffins also released nine players today upon the conclusion of their training camp at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit: goaltender Isaac Reichmuth; defensemen Johann Kroll, Brett Peterson, Kelly Sullivan and Adam Welch; and forwards Andrew Fournier, Matt McKnight, Evan Rankin and Geoff Walker.
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Cubs-Red Sox would be World Series dream
But there are some ugly possibilities for Fall Classic as well
This article just screams "pointless."
The big, bad Yankees are finally out and for that most of the country can be grateful.
I'm not sure what rock you've been hiding under for the past 8 years, but Yankee hatred has declined significantly in all non-New Yorkish non-Bostonian metropolitan areas.
Instead of constantly hearing about the ghosts of past greats at Yankee Stadium, this postseason we can focus on the present at not-so-historic Tropicana Field.
Right there with you in re: shut the fuck up about Yankee Stadium. But why is Tropicana Field even important? It's not part of your "dream" World Series anyway.
Instead of filling up seats in the Bronx, theyll be taking them out, just in time for the holiday gift-giving season.
Okay you're paying waaaaaaay more attention to this than necessary. I'm removing whatever credit I gave you for making fun of the ESPN Yankee Stadium ZOMG Brigade.
But thats not the only thing different about a World Series that has every chance to be truly memorable and an equal chance to be truly forgettable.
This would be a very true statement if you were arguing from the perspective of "the series itself might not be that exciting." But you're obviously gonna ramble on about how Milwaukee is boring or something.
Theres a surprise team from Florida
Who?
chances of an all-Chicago or all-LA matchup,
Both of which you are about to shit on immensely. We're talking Randy Marsh in South Park's "More Crap" episode level shitting.
OFFICIAL PUBLIC STATEMENT: I am a nerd.
and a Boston team ready to lay claim to a dynasty of its own.
Which is exciting, but when the Yankees do it, that's bad, right?
About the only certainty is that the Cubs will implode at some point because they are, after all, the Cubs.
You are an idiot who says idiotic things.
Keeping that in mind, heres a look at the good, the bad, and the ugly matchups that could be this years World Series:
You forgot "the useless." Oh wait, you're not playing in the playoffs are you? Nevermind.
BOOM! Nailed that one. ::high-fives everyone in the room::
THE GOOD:
CUBS-RED SOX: This is the ultimate matchup, one that makes Bud Selig and Fox television executives drool at the mere thought.
Why should anybody fucking care about Bud Selig or Fox. Fox hired Tim McCarver for crissake. Anything that makes them happy should be deemed pure evil.
The backdrop alone would make this worth tuning in for, but this World Series would have more story lines than just the two classic ballparks. The Red Sox would be staking a claim to dominance much like their pinstriped rivals, trying for their third championship in five years, and you might have heard something by now about the Cubs trying to win their first World Series in exactly 100 years.
Sure, fine, whatever, if the Red Sox blow the Cubs out in 4 games, it still kinda sucks. A lot.
The only downside for long-suffering Cubs fans is that Boston would have the home-field advantage. But after waiting since 1908 to win the World Series, they could wait a few more days to play at home.
You had me going there. First you said something meaningful. Then you said one of the most useless sentences to ever grace the internet.
RED SOX-DODGERS: Imagine Manny Ramirez returning to Fenway Park to hit two home runs over the Green Monster in Game 1. OK, just imagine him returning to run hard all the way to first base. Either way it will be a show, made all the better should Joe Torre be able to exorcise some Fenway demons while dressed in Dodger blue.
Or, alternatively, it will be bad, because the Dodgers blow. And because Ned Coletti would have a shot at winning the World Series, a thing he deserves less than K-Rod deserves the Cy Young.
METS-ANGELS: Yankees-Dodgers would have been better, especially with Torre against his old team. But New York versus Los Angeles is never bad
New York Knicks vs Los Angeles Clippers. Boom.
Actually, let's back this up a little bit. Why is that never bad? Explain this. What if the Mets and the Angels have 2 very, very boring teams that don't have very many exciting or interesting players and are incredibly different in skill level and the good team blows out the bad team. How is that "good?" Sure, the ratings will be stellar, but who cares? That's just because a lot of people follow those teams. It doesn't make the World Series good.
THE BAD:
CUBS-WHITE SOX: Yes, we know the Cubs havent won a World Series since 1908 and that such a warm and fuzzy occurrence would be even more warm and fuzzy for Cub fans if they could do it against their crosstown rivals. But any magic about the Cubs and White Sox playing each other evaporated with interleague play and, outside of Chicago, who really cares if the north side is better than the south.
I'm sort of with you on this one. But I bet you were the same person who was pulling hard for Yankees-Mets in 2000.
About the only fun for the rest of the country would be watching Ozzie Guillen chase rats down the right-field line.
What?
No no no. Seriously. What?
Where the hell did you come up with this joke?
What makes a man sit down in front of his computer, think this thought, and say to himself "oh man, that's gotta go in"? Early 90's Full House Bob Saget called, he wants his sense of humor back.
DODGERS-ANGELS: Back in the day when the Dodgers, Giants and Yankees all played in New York it wasnt a big deal when two teams from the same city met each other in the World Series because it happened quite often. It doesnt happen that often anymore Mets-Yankees in 2000 were the only ones in the last 50 years but Los Angeles is the wrong city to make it happen.
Again, you pretty much ruled out the White Sox and Cubs as an interesting crosstown World Series, so which is the "right" city. Oh. New York, right? Because the rest of the country totally gives a damn about Mets/Yankees. Fuck you. Fuck you with a blowtorch.
The Cubs and White Sox at least inspire passion from their followers. In LA, fans get worked up trying to figure out the best inning to leave the ballpark so they can beat traffic.
This is a completely stupid and totally false generalization that should be swallowed up by the earth. Cub fans flock to the Cubby Bear in great numbers before the conclusion of baseball games. And did you watch the World Series in 2002? I mean I hate Eckstein and all that, but Anaheim's crowd was blanketed with thunder sticks both pounding together and making that blasted "X" formation. There was a shitload of passion in that series.
THE UGLY:
RAYS-DIAMONDBACKS: Lets get this straight: Eva Longoria is one of the stars on Desperate Housewives who is married to Tony Parker of the San Antonio Spurs. Evan Longoria is the third baseman for Tampa Bay who always seems to hit crucial home runs. That should take about 10 minutes for Tim McCarver to explain during Game 1, after which there will be little left to do other than ponder the dismal ugliness of Tropicana Field and wonder why Randy Johnson is always so surly.
I actually have to give it up here. Nice McCarver burn.
TWINS-
EWERS: The Twins are a decent enough story, a young team that wasnt supposed to do anything this year after losing Johan Santana to the Mets. The Brewers arent bad, either, especially if they make the playoffs after firing their manager with just two weeks left in the season. Match them together, though, and youve got a dud of a World Series played out in small-market Midwestern cities that not even the
super-sized presence of Prince Fielder can save.
Everyone hates a World Series full of budding young stars, right? No, in all honesty, this paragraph is a lame copout and I'm pretty sure fuck Justin Morneau that Tim Dahlberg has some sort of financial stake in Fox's ratings or some shit like that, because that's honestly 100% of your reasoning behind each and every one of these claims. The Twins are a bunch of lucky fuckbags that admittedly play a very exciting style of baseball. I would definitely love to see the Brewers in the World Series. They're an incredibly exciting team with young talent all over the diamond. You can't see anything in them except the fact that they have a fat vegetarian slugger and fired their manager last week. Fuck you, Tim.
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Chicago Blackhawks
Whoa! Hey, look at that! It's not the Red Wings!
And look at all that I just wrote. How many Hawks fans do you think I was able to piss off in a mere three paragraphs of writing? The over/under is about 52. Yes it's a rejuvenated fanbase, but that doesn't mean the United Center is bursting at the seams.
Anyway, if you're looking for trivia points, the young child pictured above who looks like he wants to punch the cameraman is actually Logan Couture (via Sharkspage). He has nothing to do with the Hawks, it's just a neat photo.
But yes, we are here to talk about the Hawks. They have got to be the feel good story in hockey right now. This franchise seems to have done a complete 180 in the last year and is heading in the right direction. They missed out on the playoffs last year by a mere three points and still have three of the best kids in the game -- Jon Toews, Patrick Sharp and Patrick Kane. Given these kids a few more years and this team is going to be sick. The Hawks should sneak into the playoffs this season especially with the edition of Cristobal Huet. Oh and they're no slouches on defense either, what with Seabrook, Keith and a host of others.
What's New: Cristobal Huet is in and the Bulin Wall is out. Added Brian Campbell through free agency. Scotty Bowman joins the front office.
Questions That Need Answering: Really, the biggest question is 'how much are these guys going to improve?' We know they have tons of talent and now they just need to go out there and show everyone how far they can go with it. Other questions are as follows; with the Hawks having only 4 players on the roster born in the 1970s, is it more like sleep away camp than an NHL team? Does Patrick Kane have a fake ID? If so, shouldn't he be able to get into any Chicago bars he wants anyway.
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Operazione non permessa!
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Warning: fopen(/tmp/logcurl.
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The Oilers may be the most exciting non-playoff team in the league. It's not so much that they are laden with exciting scorers (Ales Hemsky? Erik Cole??) but because Kevin Lowe is absolutely crazy. Even when we get late in the year and they are out of the hunt, expect him to make a 15 player trade and somehow piss off three or four other GMs. Also, the Oilers have a good defense, too bad their netminder is 64 years old and they don't have reliable playmakers.
What's new: Weren't particularly active in the free agent markent, but they made several trades, ending up with Ryan Potulny, Lubo Visnovsky, Gilbert Brule and Eric Cole while giving up Jarret Stoll, Matt Greene, Raffi Torres and Joni Pitkanen. It always hurts to lose a Raffi.
Questions that need answering: Why don't players break out in Edmonton like it seems they should? Is it Ryan Smyth's fault? Will Lowe make more roster moves than the Oilers have wins? After reading one of these previews, do I actually know anything about hockey.
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Operazione non permessa!
Warning: fclose(): supplied argument is not a valid stream resource in /home/columbus/public_html/wp-content/mu-p
Warning: fopen(/tmp/logcurl.
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The writer not only captures thetacky charms of cheap luggage -I know because I've owned a lot of it - but also thecurrently lamentablestate of U.S. vacationing:
What better accessories for a mediocre vacation than this 6-piece set of mediocre luggage? Not only will this tote, garment bag, toiletry kit, and three upright suitcases provide perfectly adequate storage 'n' portage, you also won't really have to worry that one of your fellow Greyhound passengers will steal them.
And, yes, the luggage sets did sell out.
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The formation of the Advisory Board completes the NHLPA's organizational re-structure which was revised under terms of the NHLPA's new constitution. The Executive Board, which is comprised of the 30 club player representatives, appointed the members of the Advisory Board after giving special consideration to individuals with relevant expertise. The Advisory Board will offer guidance on various matters that reflect the Board members' areas of expertise.
"We are pleased to welcome these eight distinguished professionals as members of the new NHLPA Advisory Board," said Paul Kelly, NHLPA Executive Director. "The Advisory Board was a significant addition to the new constitution and will serve as a valuable resource for the NHLPA's Executive Board and to the management team of the NHLPA."
The members of the Advisory Board will meet at least twice per year and are expected to take part in Executive Board meetings that pertain to their field of expertise. The Advisory Board will advise the Executive Board on matters referred to it by the Executive Board and regarding any other matters it deems appropriate. Each Advisory Board member appointed by the Executive Board will serve for a term of three years, subject to extension.
...
Ron Pink (Halifax, Nova Scotia) is the managing partner of Pink Breen Larkin, an Atlantic Canada law firm which represents clients with union-side labour law issues. He has extensive experience with trade unions and collective bargaining, as well as pension and benefits. By vote of the Executive Board, Ron Pink has been designated as chairman of the Advisory Board.
Ken Baumgartner (Boston, Massachusetts) is a former NHLPA member and currently works as a portfolio specialist in equity product management at Wellington Management Company, LLP. During his active playing career, Baumgartner was elected as an NHLPA vice-president (1993-1999).
George Cohen (Washington, DC) retired in 2006 after a 40 year career as a senior partner of Bredhoff Kaiser P.L.L.C., a Washington, D.C. law firm with a national practice specializing in labor and constitutional law. Since 2006, Cohen has worked as a solo practitioner in the area of private and public sector mediation.
Buzz Hargrove (Toronto, Ontario) served as the national president of the Canadian Auto Workers Union since his acclamation in 1992 until he recently retired in September 2008. Hargrove has been one of Canada's top labour leaders and has extensive collective bargaining experience.
Steve Larmer (Peterborough, Ontario) is a former NHLPA member and the former NHLPA head of player relations. He served as a player rep during his playing career from 1989 until 1993. Larmer served as the head of player relations from 1998 to 2005.
Ron Lloyd (Toronto, Ontario) is the chairman and chief executive officer of Credit Suisse Securities (Canada), Inc. Lloyd has over 20 years of experience in the financial services industry.
Dan O'Neill (Canmore, Alberta) is recently retired from Molson Inc. where he held the title of CEO for six years. He has spent over 30 years working around the world with large multi-national consumer product companies. O'Neill served on the Board of the Montreal Canadiens from 2002 to 2008, and was also a member of the Board of the Hockey Hall of Fame.
Ian Troop (Georgetown, Ontario) has spent 27 years building consumer brands around the world. He is the former president of the International Operating Group at ConAgra Foods, which he created and built from 2002 to 2008. Prior to 2002, Troop spent 20 years with Procter Gamble in senior leadership roles of increasing responsibility.
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Yesterday was the day of the veterans... or a day for the veterans. A week after the initial free agent signing explosion, the older players who flew under the radar have begun to get scooped up. Todd Bertuzzi, was signed by the Cagary Flames to a one year deal worth $1.95 million, the Tampa Bay Lightning signed forward Mark Recchi to a one year deal worth $1.25 million, and the Minnesota Wild acquired forward Owen Nolan for two years at $2.75 million per season. Center Brendan Morrison is close to finalizing a deal that will bring him to the Anaheim Ducks.
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman put an end to the feud (much to our dismay) between Anaheim Ducks GM Brian Burke, and Edmonton Oilers GM Kevin Lowe yesterday, a few days after Lowe finally shot back after a years worth of Burke's verbal barbs. Got to give Lowe a ton of credit, as he really ripped Burke, and gave me some new perspective on the guy. Maybe the Leafs should think twice before annointing him the savior of their franchise, he may leave it in worse shape than it already is. Isn't it funny how Bettman had to step in, after Lowe shot back? Little favoritism for Burke there? Me thinks there is!
The NHL is close to finalizing the third Winter Classic, which would reportedly be held at Wrigley Field in Chicago. The outdoor match would be between the Chicago Blackhawks and the Detroit Red Wings on New Years Day. The last two have been great, and I really hope that this becomes an annual event.
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A) Viktor Kozlov and Sergei Federov are back in town and skated at Kettler this morning.
B) The Caps Rookies shut out and dominated the Flyers Rookies 7 - 0 in the Rookie Scrimmage this afternoon.
C) Alexander Semin was to arrive in DC today as the final Capital to arrive for the opening of training camp Saturday.
D) Individual Caps game tickets go on sale on Saturday as well.
Can't wait to ROCK THE RED at the home opener on October 11th.
LETS GO CAPS!!!!!.
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A) Viktor Kozlov and Sergei Federov are back in town and skated at Kettler this morning.
B) The Caps Rookies shut out and dominated the Flyers Rookies 7 - 0 in the Rookie Scrimmage this afternoon.
C) Alexander Semin was to arrive in DC today as the final Capital to arrive for the opening of training camp Saturday.
D) Individual Caps game tickets go on sale on Saturday as well.
Can't wait to ROCK THE RED at the home opener on October 11th.
LETS GO CAPS!!!!!.
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Yesterday was the day of the veterans... or a day for the veterans. A week after the initial free agent signing explosion, the older players who flew under the radar have begun to get scooped up. Todd Bertuzzi, was signed by the Cagary Flames to a one year deal worth $1.95 million, the Tampa Bay Lightning signed forward Mark Recchi to a one year deal worth $1.25 million, and the Minnesota Wild acquired forward Owen Nolan for two years at $2.75 million per season. Center Brendan Morrison is close to finalizing a deal that will bring him to the Anaheim Ducks.
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman put an end to the feud (much to our dismay) between Anaheim Ducks GM Brian Burke, and Edmonton Oilers GM Kevin Lowe yesterday, a few days after Lowe finally shot back after a years worth of Burke's verbal barbs. Got to give Lowe a ton of credit, as he really ripped Burke, and gave me some new perspective on the guy. Maybe the Leafs should think twice before annointing him the savior of their franchise, he may leave it in worse shape than it already is. Isn't it funny how Bettman had to step in, after Lowe shot back? Little favoritism for Burke there? Me thinks there is!
The NHL is close to finalizing the third Winter Classic, which would reportedly be held at Wrigley Field in Chicago. The outdoor match would be between the Chicago Blackhawks and the Detroit Red Wings on New Years Day. The last two have been great, and I really hope that this becomes an annual event.
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As David Letterman would do, here are to Top Ten:
10. Chicago. Goalies - Cristobol Huet and Nikolai Khabibulin. Score 173.50 points
9. Minnesota. Goalies - Niklas Backstrom and Josh Harding. Score 160.1 points
8. New York Rangers. Goalies - Henrik Lundqvist and Stephen Valiquette. Score 155.1 points.
7. Dallas Stars. Goalies - Marty Turco and Tobias Stephan. Score 147.5 points
6. Nashville Predators. Goalies - Dan Ellis and Pekka Rinne. Score 137.0 points
5. New Jersey Devils. Goalies - Martin Brodeur and Kevin Weeks. Score 134.3 points
4. Anahiem Ducks. Goalies - J-S Giguere and Jonas Hiller. Score 128.9 points
3. Detroit Red Wings. Goalies - Chris Osgood and Ty Conklin. Score 123.0 points
2. San Jose Sharks. Goalies - Evgeni Nabokov and Brian Boucher. Score 121.
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Then there's the obvious: an already great team adds the most prized free agent of the summer in Marian Hossa, who declined long-term, multi-million dollar offers to sign for one year with the Red Wings because he thinks they give him the best chance of winning the Cup.
Beyond that, no team in the league boasts the proven secondary scoring of the Wings: Johan Franzen (27 regular season goals, 13 in 16 playoff games) Dan Cleary (20 goals in 63 regular season games), Tomas Holmstrom (20 in 59), Valtteri Filppula (19), Jiri Hudler (13) and Mikael Samuelsson (11). Go ahead Pavel and Hank, take the night off...they've got you covered.
It should be noted a number of the Wings' key players - including future Hall of Fame defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom and valuable checking forwards Kris Draper and Kirk Maltby - are getting long in the tooth. But Lidstrom has always been quietly effective without expending too much energy, while Draper and Maltby are role players who average between 12 and 15 minutes of ice time.
Veteran goalies Chris Osgood and Ty Conklin form a competent duo.
Finally, the kids. One of the reasons the Wings have been so strong for so long is the fact they draft well and have youngsters in the system who push the vets. Speedster Darren Helm, drafted 132nd in 2005, showed in last spring's playoffs that he's developing into a fine two-way forward. Defenseman Jonathan Ericsson looks like he's ready to join the top six; left winger Ville Leino, 25, finished second in scoring in the Finnish League; and, don't be surprised if brash right winger Justin Abdelkader joins the varsity squad full-time at some point next season.
Similar posts: hockey news
- Mood:Very good
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The tragic accident and the loss of Dan Snyder's life is pretty serious and depressing stuff, and I elected to pass on it. I did not want to deal with it at all back then, tuning out news casts and passing on print and online articles. It was just too sad.
It was not until 2007 that I picked up a copy of the text, and even then I only did because I found it in a bargain bin of a Vancouver used bookstore. Don't tell Manasso - I got it for only $2.
Even then I still was not prepared to deal with the story. I put it on my shelf and did not pull it back out until now, the summer of 2008.
For reasons I still can not ascertain, I suddenly felt that I was ready to deal with the story. It may have something to do with Luc Bourdon's tragic motorcycle death this summer. As a Canucks fan, I knew a bit about Luc Bourdon and what a great kid he was. I knew next to nothing about Dan Snyder, and I think I felt guilty about that. I guess it was time that I finally honour Dan Snyder's memory and learn as much as I could about Dan Snyder and his amazing family.
There is no better place to do exactly that than Manasso's A Season Of Loss. It is an expertly penned book that looks beyond the life and tragic death of Snyder, but also into Dany Heatley's ordeal and how the Snyder family forgave him and welcomed him into their home.
The book opens with the infamous Ferrari crash, which is a little abrupt but somehow very fitting. After all it is here where most of us will remember Dan Snyder. It certainly grabs the reader's attention right away. Manasso even includes transcripts of the 911 call by the first person on the scene. I must admit that I tried to read through that, but I skipped ahead because I was not ready for that much realism.
The next two chapters take turns looking at the two main characters of the story - Snyder and Heatley. The two are portrayed as very different people off the ice, almost as different as they are on it. But Snyder and Heatley, the driver of the Ferrari, became the best of friends and will be forever intertwined in history.
As much as this is Dan Snyder's story and the Snyder family's story, this is also very much Dany Heatley's story. Somehow he survived the crash with a broken jaw, a minor concussion, a bruised lung, bruised kidney, and three torn ligaments in his right knee, but every day of his life he has to live knowing his mistake took the life of his best friend.
Manasso does a good job of trying to tie the stories of Snyder and Heatley together. He had no easy job in doing that either, as Heatley declined to participate in the book's creation, never even answering Manasso's requests for interviews. Of course, at the time Heatley faced lengthy legal battles, and he was advised to say nothing at all to the media by his lawyers.
After establishing the characters and their great bond, the book returns us to the hospital where Snyder fights for his life but ultimately can not hold on. The funeral is held back in Elmira, Ontario, a tiny Mennonite community that is greatly shaken by their hero's death.
The final several chapters, which represents the bulk of the book, turns to the story of the community's healing process, and of course especially that of the Snyder family. The Snyders were quick to publicly forgive Heatley, something that surprised many people. They did not just publicly support him, they brought him into their home and they helped each other heal together.
I'll admit, the chapters about healing and forgiveness and justice were a bit laborious, but that is completely my fault, not Manasso's. It goes back to my feelings that prevented me from reading this book for three years. Even when I read it I could not understand (I did not want to understand?) how this family was able to embrace forgiveness and accept what had happened so quickly. Perhaps this is because I do not want to ever find myself in their position. I don't want to relate to them.
Because of my own misgivings I was not able to invest my full emotions into this book, making it at times a tough read. I almost want to apologize to Manasso because he did an absolutely fantastic job authoring this book, but I am not yet fully able to appreciate all that it is worth.
I think the thing I may take away from this book the most is the quote by Snyder's junior teammate Ryan "Sticks" Christie.
"Nothing Loved Is Ever Lost."
Undoubtedly some great and famous philosopher actually coined that phrase, but Christie is the one who taught it to me. What a comforting thought to carry with us through not only loss, but how we approach every day we live.
The Dan Snyder story is a sad one. But at the same time it is a hopeful story.
Similar posts: hockey news
- Mood:More emotions
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