The Best Team Doesn't Always Win.

Or a goalie standing on his head , a freshman at that, can steal you one; or this is why they play the games. You pick your preferred title.
We went to the final game of the 2015 Ice Breaker Tournament last night, which is the traditional tipoff of the college hockey season, this year held in Portland, Maine.  $25 got you a ticket to both games held that day but I wasn't going to torture Shelly with that much sports in a day or $45 would get you a ticket to all four games.
Portland is renowned as one of the best restaurant towns in the country. So we had dinner at an excellent Greek restaurant, walked around the city a bit and went to the finale, which turned out to be the game to decide the tourney winner between the host Maine Black Bears and Brent's highly-ranked North Dakota Fighting  Sioux.
There was never any doubt as to which was the superior team -- just look at the shots on goal difference of 2/1.  North Dakota dominated puck possession and zone time.  They're much more polished and experienced, and probably more talented but they couldn't solve Maine freshman goalie Rob McGovern, who turned away 43 of 44 SOG!
To me the turning point of the game came in the 2nd. ND was up up 1-0, was continuing to dominate and I noticed the Maine players start to look dispirited...this was going to get ugly.  But suddenly there was a sloppy clearing pass by ND and a very quick goal for Maine.  While the Souix continued to dominate, Maine played hard again from that point forward, a lesson for you youngsters out there.
Portland is going to bid to host a 2018 regional and I hope they showed the arena and city quite capable last night.

Hockey Season Is... Here

I want to be excited for hockey season today, but my viewing choices are the Blackhawks and Kings. Eff that. 👎

— R.J. (@RJOuttaSoCal) October 7, 2015

That's a pretty accurate assessment of my enthusiasm for Opening Night. After the way the NHL and the Chicago Blackhawks have handled the Patrick Kane situation (preferential treatment, anyone?), I decided not to order NHL Center Ice this season. This means I'm at the mercy of NBCSports, Fox Sports San Diego, and Fox Sports West for NHL action. The Anaheim Ducks don't start their season against the San Jose Sharks until Saturday night, so unless there's a free preview of NHL Center Ice starting today, my viewing choices are restricted to the Blackhawks at 5pm PST, followed by the Kings at 7:30pm PST.

Translation: It's one slap on each side of my face by the NHL teams that tolerated domestic violence over the past twelve months. This is the very reason why I didn't sign up for either NHL Center Ice or NHL GameCenter for the first time in a decade, so you can understand why I have very strong feelings about this.

Found On Twitter: Things Of Beauty

The #SDGulls 2015-16 away and home jersey! Come check it out in person at @FSGrillSanDiego NOW! pic.twitter.com/oQcV8ulZ5Y

— San Diego Gulls (@SDGullsAHL) September 4, 2015

I don't mean to be the resident Fashion Police around here, but somebody's gotta do it. In this case, I'm already in love with these new San Diego Gulls jerseys that were unveiled yesterday at the Fox Sports Grill. Yours truly has something called a job, so unfortunately I couldn't make it across the county to see them firsthand. If you click on the image above a couple of times, or follow this link, you'll see a larger picture of the home and away jerseys.

I love how the Ducks have allowed the Gulls to keep their familiar colors. They look great with today's jersey designs. I especially love the white jerseys. I've only seen one AHL game on TV, so I don't remember if they follow NHL rules and wear white jerseys on the road. But if they do, they will be very fashionable in places like Ontario, Stockton, Bakersfield and San Jose. I still have to get used to the Anaheim Ducks logo patch on the left shoulder, but otherwise I love these jerseys more than the ones the Gulls have worn in the past.

Looks like I need to do some shopping later this month. Originally, I was only going to buy a t-shirt, a hat, and a hoodie but now I need to see if I can squeeze a jersey into my monthly clothing budget.

Hamilton and Lucic

Or Lucic and Hamilton.  LOL
Let me start by saying I am, as usual, going off a stream of consciousness, having just heard about the Lucic trade as I was going to write a blog about the Hamilton trade.  I know nothing about the other players involved in these trades, though it appears the value the Bruins got in return was the draft picks.
So let me get this straight:  Not long ago the Bruins had worked magic and become something very rare in pro sports -- a team at the top with high draft picks.  They worked their magic and ended up drafting Tyler Seguin and Dougie Hamilton (and we won't bother saying that the Seguin pick comes about by trading away another very high draft pick.) 
So are we seeing a trend here?  Absolutely we are.  We're seeing a team that gets high draft picks and doesn't keep them.  Does this mean they're missing the mark with who they draft with those picks, how those players are then developed, or both or neither (though I don't think neither is really possible.)
You bailed on the very talented enigma that is Phil Kessel, whom you drafted very high with much aplomb, getting the number 2 overall pick in return, the aforementioned Seguin, only to give up on him after two seasons.  And what did you get in return there?  A bag of pucks.
Interrupting myself for a second but who was the previous very high draft pick the  Bruins gave up on before Kessel?  One Joe Thornton.  Definitely, definitely a trend, my friends.
Now you're giving up on Dougie Hamilton because why?  I'm guessing because they didn't think he was worth the money he was asking and the fact that the Bruins are up against it with the cap.  But all you got in return was the 14th pick...in my book that's trading down since Hamilton was a higher pick than that and you know what you've got with it.  I could care less about the other late picks in that deal.  Now they've traded Milan Lucic was a comparable pick and a player I don't know.
Is this a sign of a rebuild (and arguably an identity shift if you're getting rid of the one player who most plays, when he decides to, like the Bruins have always played) or does this have everything to do with money?
But more importantly is:  What faith should I have that you'll, A, draft great players with those picks (since you're trading great players for them) and even if you do, will you develop and keep them?

So Long, Farewell, and We Keep Rolling Along

Leaving North Dakota For Philly? Not An Upgrade By Any Means

Coach Dave Hakstol left the University of North Dakota today to assume the Head Coaching position of the Philadelphia Flyers. Coach Hakstol leaves behind the tradition of the former Fighting Sioux. The thing with Coach Hakstol is that he could not live up to the standards that the fans and alumni had for the team. From 1980 to 2000, the University of North Dakota won 5 National Championships. 3 by John Gasparini and 2 by Dean Blais. In 2004, Dave Hakstol became the 15th coach in school history. Yes, he made 7 Frozen Fours and has made the National Tournament each of the years that he has coached the former Fighting Sioux. But in 6 of those 7 Frozen Fours, his team lost in the Semi-Finals. A couple of those years were bad luck, but still the team could not reach the pinnacle after getting close to the top.

It was time for Coach Hakstol to go. The natives were on the Warpath (pun intended). After more than a decade of no National Championships and 7 Frozen Fours, the whispers were becoming shouts that we would never be champs again with this guy behind the bench. Yes, the program kept rolling along with players being drafted and becoming major cogs in pro teams, but here in North Dakota, the teams could never gel well enough to become that team that everybody believed could fight through adversity during the National Tournament.

Thoughts from the Weekend

Figured that we needed something on the blog, so let's try something new. Just some takes from the past weekend in sports (maybe something else at the end).

1. Tony Stewart needs to see a shrink. He goes up the track during the race, runs into Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s car and takes himself out of the race at Richmond and then blames Junior for the wreck. Here would be my plan for Mr. Stewart to get back to being a threat to win a race each and every NASCAR season:  1) Spend some of your millions on a shrink to help you with the bad memories that you have over the past 2 years. 2) Take some of that money and join a gym. The excess fat around the stomach probably ain't helping with the driving. 3) Let your business partner Mr. Haas take some of the leadership for the team. You have way too many irons in the fire. Eldora, Driving, leading the Corporation, and other things that I don't know about. You have spread yourself too thin. 4) Finally, stop being a cantankerous a-hole. Enjoy yourself and let yourself enjoy life. That might help relieve some of the pressure of your life right now.

2. Adam Wainright, St. Louis Cardinals pitcher hurt himself while batting this weekend and might be out for the year. That has national sports writers calling for the National League to institute the Designated Hitter. I strongly disagree. I would stop inter-league play. No more American League vs. National League. It causes the World Series to become just another series. I would have the American League end the Designated Hitter rule. I like the strategy that having the Pitcher hit. I also like the way that National League teams pace their games. If the NL implements the DH, I have worries that Dodgers-Giants, Cardinals-Cubs and Mets-Phillies will become 4 hours marathons like the Red Sox-Yankees. That is not good.

3. The officials in the playoffs need to be held to some sort of standard. In Game 6 of  the NHL Eastern Playoff game of Montreal-Ottawa, a referee whistled a play dead and negated a good Ottawa goal. The game was 1-0 until an empty net goal by the Canadiens with 0.7 seconds left made the final 2-0. The Senators were eliminated from the playoffs by that call. In the NBA, we have a separated shoulder for Kevin Love because a Celtic yanked and put wieght on Love's extended arm. and then we get a slap to the face of Jae Crowder by Kendrick Perkins and then a nice spinning back fist by J.R. Smith to Crowder's face. And all we hear is how the players were being overly physical in both sports. Well, who allowed it to get that way? The officials, that is who. When you have P.K. Subban trying to run a guy's face into the goalpost and nothing is done to him by either the league or the officials assigned to that game, you have problems.

4. Thank god that the NFL draft is this weekend. I am so tired of the hype. It needs to go back to the early part of April. I do not need someone giving me 14 mock drafts over 3 months. And I am tired of hearing about all the prospects. However, I am thinking about disowning the Buccaneers when they draft Jameis Winston.

5. Finally, something off of sports. We need a law or a constitutional amendment stating that there can be no political advertisments, political campaigns or announcing for political offices until January 1st of the year that the elections are being held. I am already tired of hearing about the 2016 elections. They are 19 months away. Right now, I don't want to hear anything about how this person took money for political favors, especially if there is no proof.

Found On Twitter: Angry Birds?

Here's a full look at our new logo at #SDHockeyfest pic.twitter.com/HxCGxbquxg

— San Diego Gulls (@SDGullsAHL) February 22, 2015

It is now official. After nine seasons, the San Diego Gulls are back and I couldn’t be happier!

Compared to the WCHL/ECHL logo from a decade ago, I really like this one. It retains the navy, light blue, orange and white colors that the team wore for most of its existence going back nearly fifty years ago, and the gull is updated to look like it eats Ontario Reign for breakfast and… I can’t say here how it “makes” Bakersfield Condors. *laughs*

The new season doesn’t begin until October, but I can’t wait to buy a hat, a jersey, a puck and a t-shirt once they’re available. My schedule will be changing soon, which means I’ll have many opportunities to see hockey in my hometown. Will I buy season tickets? At this time I can’t, but I wouldn’t rule out attending as many as twenty games this season. I might even take a road trip or two to go cheer for them in Ontario.

Everything Is Awesome In Maple Leafs Country? Really!

It is Legos and Hockey. A Match made in heaven. Now if the Maple Leafs could figure out how personnel on the ice is important, they might have something.

A Must Read

Last night, I finished reading one of the best hockey books I’ve read in a very long time. If it weren’t for the fact I have a job, I would have likely finished this book in one evening. It was that good.

Remember Val James? You don’t? Let’s go back in time roughly thirty years. The NHL had twenty-one teams. Team USA had recently won the gold medal at Lake Placid. The Leafs sucked, but it wasn’t long ago when they played more than one Stanley Cup Playoff round in the spring. In Buffalo, one of the most feared fighters ever to lace on a pair of skates made his debut for the Sabres.

Valmore James, who was born in Ocala, Florida and grew up on Long Island, became the first black American hockey player to play in the NHL. He was brought up by the big club for one purpose – to deal with the Boston Bruins. Val took care of business, but it came at a high personal cost. Black Ice is his story.

The book doesn’t just tell how Val became the best fighter of his era. You also learn about the racism he dealt with along the way. The third chapter absolutely made me cry. Like Val, when I was in third grade I thought I was just like everyone else until a complete stranger – in my case, a kid my own age -- called me a racial slur. And then other kids joined in. When I got home from school, I remember crying to my parents and telling them, “I don’t want to be a Mexican!”

Strangely enough, Val and I share one thing in common. There are those who endure racist taunts, and then there’s the way Val and I handled things. It was refreshing to see I wasn’t the only one who didn’t take shit from anyone. You call either of us a racial slur, then you be prepared to, um, “back it up”.

For those of you who want to know what professional hockey was like in the late 70s to the mid-80s from a player’s point of view, you have to pick up this book. It is filled with stories from his time on Long Island, Canadian junior hockey, the EHL, AHL, and his brief stints in the NHL. For a preview, click on this link and enjoy the first two chapters.

Found On Twitter: Twitter After Dark™

Hung and ready #TeamFoligno pic.twitter.com/pxhO4g1Y7r

— Todd Sharrock (@ToddSharrock) January 25, 2015

This could have so many different meanings… I hope the author was referring to the jerseys!

Posted On Twitter: I Give Up

Is it too early? #HereComeTheOilers pic.twitter.com/hO5a5Nx0NN

— Hun†ress (@HuntressInSoCal) November 23, 2014

I posted that on Twitter right after the Blackhawks scored their second goal – on their second shot of the game. The Oilers went on to lose 7-1, and thankfully I used my PS3 to play a video game rather than sit through the second and third periods.

Found On Twitter: Sad Children

Getty photog Bruce Bennett started taking pictures of sad children at the Leafs game tonight. God bless him. pic.twitter.com/5Kqxir5mmp

— Pat Iversen (@PatIversen) November 19, 2014

This sums up how last night’s game against the Nashville Predators turned out for the Toronto Maple Leafs. I still haven’t watched the game “highlights” on NHL Gamecenter – and I probably won’t either.

Found On Twitter: Dating Service?

So girls,... Do me a favor... Just to do the kid the favor and get it out of my hands @MichaelDelZotto is looking for dates, lots of them!

— Lisa Ann (@thereallisaann) November 2, 2014

What can I say? Twitter is the gift that keeps on giving, and this morning I learned through this tweet and others Flyers defenseman Michael Del Zotto is looking for a date. Well, more than one and he even tried to get porn star Lisa Ann to help him out.

I can’t wait to see how hard he gets trolled on Twitter, plus there’s the fact you’ll probably see signs in the crowd the next time the Flyers are on the road.

Found On Twitter: Leafs Game Summary

Toronto sports summed up in one picture pic.twitter.com/tK4sJjWRml

— Ian (@Ian_from_TO) October 26, 2014

You get one guess who won the Bruins-Leafs game last night… and who escaped the CBC censors at the end of the game too!

14 Games Is Way Too Little For Trevor Gillies

Trevor Gillies Acting Like A Goon!

The AHL had a chance to make a statement for player safety with Trevor Gillies here. And the AHL has failed. You have concussion research that shows that hockey players face the same problems that football players have in later life and yet you let this Gorilla slam a kid's head into the ice after the kid has no desire to fight. I am sure that since this is the first game for the kid as a pro, that it is an attention getter, but it isn't the attention that hockey wants or needs. And if you look at Gillies history, this is a minor goon move for a person of his stature.

The Adirondack Flames have a chance here to correct their mistake of signing Gillies. They should cut his ass after he serves his 14 game suspension. I know that won't happen. Hell, you will probably have Brian Burke promote his ass up to Calgary just because Burke likes tough guys. This guy has had suspensions all throughout his career and it doesn't deter him. And his apology isn't worth the breath wasted on it.

If I am the Senior VP of Player Safety, Stephane Quintal, I am calling Calgary and telling them that Trevor Gillies will not make it to Calgary to play for the Flames. I would have him suspended indefinitely from the league and have a show-cause hearing for any team that wants to bring him in to their roster.  And then if the team doesn't take the hint and actually goes through with the hearing, then ensure that if Gillies decides to go goon again, it isn't only his ass in a sling, but the Coach, GM, and owner. Suspensions and fines would be spelled out.

Hockey has evolved from the Blood and Guts days of the 70's and early 80's. Gillies is a throwback to those times and doesn't fit into what hockey needs to be today. The NHL needs to keep him out of the top league in North America and work with the AHL and the minor leagues to ensure that they understand what the NHL is looking for in on-ice conduct.

Found On Twitter: Barry Trotz

Capitals coach Trotz accidentally offers a perfect photo opportunity. Move over, Barry. http://t.co/l81yAx07YT pic.twitter.com/MEBcmdrY00

— theScore (@theScore) October 10, 2014

I think Barry looks pretty badass with the wings placed where they are.

Posted On Twitter

I hope this isn't me around 6pm PST tonight. #GoLeafsGo pic.twitter.com/NySx4CgCfl

— HuntressInSoCal (@HuntressInSoCal) October 8, 2014

You could say I don’t have high expectations this season. The truculence era is officially over now that Colton Orr and Frazer McLaren are gone. In their place, we have fourth-liners that not only don’t fight, but we’re not sure whether or not they’re NHL-caliber players.

Realistically, I’ll be rooting for a team that will finish on the outside looking in when April rolls around. They Leafs just don’t have enough to get in the top eight. But if they stay away from major injuries, if King Joffrey Lupul regains his form, if Jake Gardiner and Morgan Rielly continue to improve, if Jonathan Bernier and James Reimer give us stellar goaltending… oh, who am I kidding?

Regardless, a new season awaits and game time is less than six hours away.

Not Found On Twitter: Defense

I miss @mc79hockey tweeting about the oilers RT @myregularface: i'm sorry Oilers fans. I just can't stop laughing pic.twitter.com/FlvQWUlH7o

— M (@schocker17) October 3, 2014

I want to laugh at this picture, but I’ve seen this before. By my team. About sixty times a season.

Posted on Twitter: Keeping Promises

This could have been a Raiders product but nooooooooo! #BoycottNFL pic.twitter.com/1ytQPDfASh

— The Huntress (@HuntressInSoCal) September 12, 2014

This morning, I bought a Leafs key chain and hair scrunchie. I still need to pick up a t-shirt and hat for the upcoming season. I might even pick up NHL ‘15, too.

These could have been Raiders products, but the NFL blew it.

2014 NHL Hall of Fame Class

The NHL announced their 2014 Hall of Fame Class. The 4 players that were elected to the Hall cannot be argued against, they are all worthy of the honor. For those that would argue that somebody else deserves to go in before these four are just playing to their personal prejudices.

Dominik Hasek - Goalie. He played for 4 NHL teams. Chicago, Buffalo, Detroit, and Ottawa. Hasek won the Hart Trophy twice, the only Goalie to do that in the history of the NHL. He is the 22nd Goalie to win 300 games. He is the oldest goalie to post a 30 win season in the NHL. He was the first goalie to win the Lester B. Pearson award, and won 6 Vezina Trophies. He is the leader all-time in career save percentage. He had 81 shutouts, a 2.20 GAA, and is 11th place in all time wins. Hasek was part of two Red Wings Stanley Cup Championship teams. He won a Gold and Bronze medal in the Olympics. He also won a Silver Medal and 3 Bronze Medals in the World Championships. He was also a 6 time all-star.

Peter Forsberg - Center. One of the main driving forces on the Colorado Avalanche when they were winning Stanley Cups along with Partick Roy and Joe Sakic. He is eighth all time in points per game in the history of the game and fifth all time in career assists per game. The man played 708 games in the NHL. He scored 249 goals and had 636 assists for a point total of 845 for his career. A +/- of 237 for the career with 43 game winning goals. He won the Hart Trophy and only had 1 fight in his NHL career. Of course it was against a Red Wing, Martin LaPoint. He won 2 Gold medals in the Olympics for Sweden and has 2 Gold Medals and 3 Silver Medals from World Championships he competed in. He currently hold the position of Assistant General Manager of Modo Sports.

Rob Blake - Defense. Blake played for three teams in the NHL: Los Angeles, Colorado, and San Jose. Blake won 1 Stanley Cup while he was with the Avalanche. He was captain of both the Kings and Sharks. He has won Gold in the Olympics in 2002. Blake has won 2 Gold Medals and a Silver Medal at the World Championships. Blake won the Norris Trophy in 1998. He was also named to 6 All-Star teams. Currently, Blake is an Assistant General Manager for the Los Angeles Kings.

Mike Modano - Center. Modano played for two franchises. The Minnesota North Stars who became the Dallas Stars and the Detroit Red Wings. Modano won one Sanley Cup with the Stars. Modano holds records in the NHL for American born players. Most Goals, Points, and Playoff points in a career. An 8 time All-Star, he also won a Silver Medal in the 2002 Olympics. The man had 1374 points and 926 penalty minutes in his NHL career. He too only had one NHL fight and that was against Rod Brind'Amour. Currently, Modano is an alternate governor and executive advisor to the Stars front office.



There are two other people that are going in for their accomplishments inside the sport of hockey. Pat Burns and Bill McCreary. They are also no argument picks.

Pat Burns - Coach. Coached Montreal, Toronto, Boston, and New Jersey. Won a Stanley Cup with the Devils and reached the Finals with the Canadiens. He coached for 14 years (should have been longer), and in the 13 years he coached for the entire year, his teams made the playoffs 12 times. He actually coached the Maple Leafs to the playoffs three consecutive years. That in and of itself should have got him into the Hall seeing how bad the Maple Leafs have been in recent years. He won three Jack Adams awards, being the only coach to do that in his first years with a new team. He is being inducted posthumously to the Hall of Fame. Burns died of Colon Cancer in 2010.

Bill McCreary - Official. The official was a referee in the Finals 14 years, 13 straight from 1995 to 2007. He was also a finals referee in 2009. He refereed the 2002 and 2010 Olympics Gold Medal game. In his career, Bill refereed 1700 regular season games, 282 playoff games, and 1 All-Star game.







There are two sportswriters that are the 2014 Media Honorees: Kevin Allen and Pat Foley.

This is the 2014 Hockey Hall of Fame Class. The only sad thing is that Pat Burns is not going to be there. The electors did really well this year.