Dustin's D League

Broduer’s Shaky Performance and Team Canada’s Future

There’s no doubt in my mind that Martin Brodeur is the greatest NHL goalie of all time. His numbers are impeccable, and he’s brought home more hardware then James Cameron’s Avatar.

However, put under pressure in last nights game versus the United States in which Canada lost 5-3 Brodeur failed to get the job done, and its not the first time.

The 37-year-old who’s won three Stanley Cups with the New Jersey Devils (most recently in 2003) has only led his team past the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs once since the lockout.

Last season with the Devils leading a first round playoff series with the Carolina Hurricanes 3-2 I watched Brodeur allow four goals in back to back games and my jaw dropped as my playoff pool goaltender allowed two goals in the final minute and a half of game seven to lead his favored team to an early trip to the golf course rather then the Eastern Conference semi finals.

Just one season before their disappointing loss to the Canes the Devils with Brodeur between the pipes fell to the fifth seeded New York Rangers in just five games, which meant another first round departure for the Devils. Brodeur wasn’t a huge help, allowing four goals in both games four and five.

Now before you exit your browser screen because you think I’m trying to bash the games greatest goaltender here me out because in no way am I trying to say that the Devils playoff misfortunes over the past few seasons have been soley Marty’s fault, nor was Canada’s loss last night, what I’am trying to say is that over the past few seasons, when put under pressure Brodeur has fallen flat on his mask.

Last nights four goals on 22 shots against the United States was just another example. Not to mention that Marty seemed to be more curious if he could swing the puck out of the park on the States second goal rather then trying to keep it out of the net.

But now shifting strides as to why Canada lost last night because it was more then Brodeur’s poor batting average.

Simply put, United States goaltender Ryan Miller was outstanding. Making 42 saves on 45 shots Miller proved once again why the Vezina trophy should be a shoe when he may have been questioned a little after losing five of his last six starts prior to the Olympic break.

Miller’s goaltending and what Catroina Lemay Doan would call gutsy play from the young United States team, who only have three players on their roster above 30 years old are probably the only reasons why they won considering they were doubled in shots by Canada and playing against a home crowd.

For Canadian fans the loss must be frustrating and a sixth place preliminary finish may leave you feeling more then unpleasnt, but there are positives to be drawn from the sour loss on Sunday.

The 1-1-1-0 finish means the Canadians will have to play Germany on Tuesday and win in order to qualify for the quarterfinals.

You have to think head coach Mike Babcock will go with Roberto Loungo in goal the rest of the way and the game against Germany will allow Roberto to shake out any tweaks in his game before entering the elimination round, thats saying Canada beats the Germans.

The Germany game will also give Canada another game to attempt to gel as a team and hopefully give Babcock and the rest of the coaching staff a chance to figure out who to play with Sidney Crosby and Rick Nash.

A Canadian win on Tuesday would mean the ever-anticipated Crosby/Ovechkin rivalry would be reignited a bit earlier then expected as the Russians would face Canada in the quarter finals on Wednesday, the winner getting a spot in the semis.

Although the game would not have a gold medal presentation at its conclusion it would have the two most dominant hockey powers and arguably the biggest hockey rivalry of all time (Russia vs. Canada).

But I guess we should worry about the Germany game first because for all we know, there could be another Tommy Salo on the horizion.

Should Tavares Be Left Off the Calder Trophy Ballot?

John Tavares of the New York Islanders has been one of the most talked about hockey players since he was an early teen. At fifteen he was granted “exceptional player” status by the Ontario Hockey League in order to play for the Oshawa Generals.

Tavares became the youngest OHL player ever and scored 45 goals and 77 points in the 2005-2006 season. Year by year he continued to build and by the end of his fourth OHL season Tavares had tallied 215 goals and 433 points in just 247 games. On top of that Tavares won two gold medals playing for Canada at the World Junior Championships in 2008 and 2009.

And then came the hype for the 2009 entry draft. Tavares was projected to be drafted #1 overall by most, but some news outlets including myself gave some leeway for Swedish defenseman Victor Hedman who eventually went 2^nd overall, Tavares went first.

After a strong start to his first NHL season, 19 points in his first 21 games, Tavares seemed to be shaping up to be exactly what he was expected to be, an elite NHL player. But a coldstreak has him sitting at just 33 points in 58 games (0 points in his last 5 games and 14 points in 37 games) and an awful -14 rating.

Tavares’s average play has opened the door for other rookies to obtain the spotlight and possibly the Calder trophy.

Matt Duchene: The third overall pick from the 2009 draft, Duchene has played an integral part to the Colorado Avalanches extremely successful season thus far. Duchene tops all NHL rookies with 39 points (18 goals) and has scored 12 points in his last 12 games.

And Duchene isn’t the only rookie who’s had success on the Avs this season, Brandon Yip who made his Avs debut in mid December has scored 16 points in 21 games and Ryan O’Reilly has proven to be a regular on the Avs third line chipping in with 20 points and a +7 rating in 58 games.

Tyler Myers: His six foot eight frame is origianally what got him noticed but Buffalo Sabres first round draft pick Tyler Myers adds more to the Sabres roster then a massive body . The monster defenseman is third among all rookies in scoring with 31 points and leads all Sabres defensmen in ice time at just over 23 minutes a game.

Tuukka Rask: The 22-year-old rookie goaltender has been one of the bright spots in whats been a disappointing season for the Boston Bruins. As of today the Bruins are on the outside of the playoff picture looking in and although they are tied in points with the eighth place Philidephia Flyers (they’ve played one more game than the Flyers and therefore are behind them in the standings) its far off from the first place Eastern Conference finish from last season.

Although still considered a backup goaltender to Tim Thomas, Rask has started nearly half of the Bruins games (26) and has recorded impressive numbers with a 2.02 GAA and a .929 save percentage. With rumors swirling about Tim Thomas’s future as a Bruin, Rask may have found himself a starting role as an NHL goaltender.

James van Riemsdyk: Although he drew cold in December where he only scored one point in 15 games, van Riemsdyk started the season hot with 18 points in his first 16 games. His +7 rating is first among all Philidelphia Flyers forwards and he's third among all rookies in scoring with 31 points and only averages 13 minutes on the ice per game.

So as the 2009-2010 season closes in on its last 20 plus games, you have to wonder whether John Tavares will pick up the slack and help the Islanders gain back some ground in the Eastern Conference playoff race and get himself back to the top of the NHL rookie list.

Dealt to the Devils: Assessing The Trade That Lands Ilya Kovalchuk in New Jersey

It has been an extremely busy week around the National Hockey League to say the least. The Toronto Maple Leafs acquired Dion Phaneuf and J.S Giguere on Sunday, the Columbus Blue Jackets fired head coach Ken Hitchcock on Wednesday and now the New Jersey Devils have won the Ilya Kovalchuk sweepstakes, acquiring the Russian superstar last night.

In exchange the Thrashers receive defenseman Johnny Oduya, forwards Niclas Bergfors and Patrice Cormier and the Devils first round selection in the 2010 entry draft.

Unlike the two players the Leafs attained in Sundays trades, the movement of Kovalchuk has been spoken of and speculated for months. It was just a matter of figuring out what team he would be traded to and when, especially when the report came out recently that Kovalchuk rejected a 12 year 101 million dollar contract extension from the Thrashers

Although at first glance it may seem obvious that the Devils won this deal, the ultimate winner remains to be determined.

The Devils do pick up one of the most dangerous offensive talents in Kovalchuk but will Ilya reign in “hell” for long? His contact which pays him at total of 7.5 million dollars this season (the Devils pay him 2.2 million) expires at the end of this season and you have to wonder whether the Devils can afford to pay Kovalcuk that kind of money (potentially more) when forwards Brian Rolston, Zach Parise and Patrick Elias are all set to earn five million dollars each in 2010-2011.

As well, in losing Johnny Oduya in the deal the Devils lose a key piece of their defensive core. Would money in the off-season (rather then going to Kovalchuk) be better suited towards signing a big name defenseman like Marek Zidlicky or Pavel Kubina both of whom can quarterback a power play? Especially with Paul Martin becoming a UFA come July 1^st.

On the flip side there are experts in the hockey world who believe that Thrashers general manager Don Waddell took a backwards step with his franchise and lost big in the Kovalchuk deal. But Waddell did the best he could with the situation he was put into.

With his hands basically tied behind his back Waddell not only acquired a core defender in Oduya but a young speedy forward in 22 year old Niclas Bergfors who although has been held off the score sheet for much of 2010, has proven in stints this season that he can contribute offensively on a game to game basis. Waddell also received the Devils first round pick and prospect Patrice Cormier.

Also the huge amount of cap space that Kovalchuk would have taken up is now free and with all three of the Thrashers goaltenders becoming free agents this summer Waddell could use some cash to lock up a legitimate starting goaltender. Apologies to Johan Hedberg and Ondrej Pavelec who have performed admirably during points of this season, neither has shown they can consistently perform as an NHL starting goaltender.

On top of that is it worth putting money down to sign Kari Lehtonen who hasn’t played a game all season?

In the end losing a star like Kovalchuk is any GM’s nightmare, but Waddell can at least be content that he added a couple of assets in the process. And although losing Kovalchuk may bump them out of the playoffs this season, it gives them room to add depth and improve their team for seasons to come.

As for Lou Lamoriello and the Devils, Kovalchuk is a player who could push them to the Stanley Cup and if he does they will have to be considered the winners of this deal.

Rental player or not.

Blast From the Past: Former NHLers Set to Take the Stage in Vancouver

Part of me wants the Olympics to begin because I’m excited to see the Team Canada hockey team attempt to reestablish themselves as the best team at the international level.

The other part of me though wants the Olympics to begin just so I can stop hearing about believing and destiny.

It was inspiring at first but enough already.

It seems like the Olympic hockey hype in this country has been underway ever since Canada embarrassed themselves with a seventh place finish at the Turino Olympics in 2006.

So I won’t be talking about Canada’s team or Team U.S.A for that matter because quite frankly anything that has needed to be said about those two teams has been said and been said more than twice.

Instead here is a little chatter about the European teams rosters who will take the ice in Vancouver just over a week from now. More specifically the players we once knew.

With the recent trend of players leaving the NHL to go play professionally or semi-professionally in their home countries, the Vancouver Olympics provides a stage for former NHLers to prove that they still have what it takes to compete with the finest the NHL today has to offer.

Playing for Russia: Sergei Fedorov, Alexander Radulov and Alexei Morozov.

Fedorov: On June 25^th 2009 Sergei Fedorov left the NHL and signed a two-year deal with Magnitogorsk of the Kontinental Hockey League. Fedorov is the highest scoring Russian born player of all time with 483 goals. In his first season with Magnitogorsk Fedorov has nine goals and 28 points in 47 games.

Radulov: After a promising 2005-2006 campaign in the QMJHL where he scored 152 points as a member of the Quebec Remparts, it looked like Alexander Radulov had a promising NHL career ahead of him. However, after only two seasons as a member of the Nashville Predators, he signed a three-year deal with Salavat Yulaev Ufa of the KHL even though he was under contract with the Predators for one more season. An article in USA Today in 2008 quoted Predators GM Dave Poile saying that he would be extremely surprised if Radulov didn’t return to the NHL at some point. Nearly two years later Radulov is still playing for Ufa.

Morozov: After playing seven years as a member of the Pittsburgh Penguins and scoring 84 goals from 1997-2004 Alexei Morozov went to play for Kazan Ak-Bars in Russia during the NHL lockout. Morozov never returned to the NHL even though rumors over the past few

years have suggested that the Penguins 25^th overall pick from 1995 might make an NHL return. In six seasons with Kazan Ak-Bars Morozov has tallied 161 goals and 354 points.

Playing for Czech Republic: Jaromir Jagr and Petr Cajanek

Jagr: Arguably the most prominent non-NHL player in the world Jaromir Jagr left the NHL in 2008 when dedcided to pursue a career in the KHL. He signed a two year contract with Avangard Omsk and led his team in points in the 2008-2009 season with 53 in 55 games. Jagr recently made headlines in North America when a series of fights during a game between Avangard Osmk and Vityaz Chekov resulted in 691 total penalty minutes and a calling of the game. To this day Jagr is one of the most prolific NHL goal scorers to ever play andis 12^th all time with 646 career goals.

Cajanek: A brief stint in the NHL saw Petr Cajanaek spend four seasons in St. Louis from 2002-2007. Never known as a flashy player Cajanek chipped in every once in a while scoring a career high 15 goals in 2006-2007. However, Cajanek was waived the following season and with no offers from other NHL teams he moved to play in the Russian Super League and now plays for St. Petersburg of the KHL where’s he’s reached 21 goals and 40 points in 46 games.

Playing for Slovakia: Ziggy Palffy

Palffy: After the NHL lockout in 2004-2005 Zigmund Palffy signed a three year contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins worth 13.5 million dollars. But in the midst of the 2005-2006 season Palffy abruptly retired due to a reported shoulder injury. In 2007 Palffy returned to hockey as a member of Skalica HK 36 of the Slovak Extraliga (the highest level of hockey in Slovakia). Palffy had some great seasons in the NHL with back to back 40 plus goal seasons while playing for the New York Islanders in the mid 1990’s and three straight 30 plus goal season’s playing for the L.A Kings in the early 2000’s.

Playing For Sweden: Peter Forsberg

Forsberg: When he was healthy and playing for the Colorado Avalanche in the mid 1990’s and early 2000’s Peter Forsberg was one of the most dangerous players in the NHL. However, after an Art Ross trophy winning season in 2002-2003 injuries began to scratch away at his career. Since the lockout in 2004 Forsberg has never played a full NHL season spending two years as Philadelphia Flyer before being shipped to Nashville to play only seventeen games as a Predator. Since 2008 Forsberg has been back playing for Modo of the Swedish Elite League where he has scored eight goals and tallied 17 points in 14 games.

It will be interesting to see which of these players will make the most impact, improving their countries chances of taking home the gold in Vancouver.

Sidenote: Other former NHLers playing in Vancouver include Jozef Stumpel and Branko Radivojevic (Slovakia) and Niko Kapanen (Finland).

The Flames Are Big Winners in Sundays Blockbuster

After another winless weekend dropped the Toronto Maple Leafs to last in the Eastern Conference standings, general manager Brian Burke made a couple of big moves to shake up his hockey club who are losers of their last six games.

And the deals Burke made were all the rage in the Toronto media on Sunday, most notably the trade made with Daryl Suter and the Calgary Flames.

The deal which brought big name defenseman Dion Phaneuf, forward Fredrik Sjostrom and prospect defenseman Keith Aulie to Toronto and sent forwards Niklas Hagman, Matt Stajan and Jamal Mayers to Calgary along with defenseman Ian White looked at first to be favored towards Toronto because of the big name they picked up in Phaneuf. However, after a closer glance I’m going to explain why the Flames received the better end of the deal.

Without a doubt the Leafs receive the best player in this deal in the likes of Dion Phaneuf. His physical presence fits into Brian Burke’s philosophy and his booming shot will be a huge benefit for the Leafs power play. He’s proven at just 24 years of age that he can score in excess of 15 goals a season.

But in terms of depth of the deal the Flames cashed in huge.

Matt Stajan has proven that he can score 15 to 20 goals a season and is on pace for 60 points which would be a career high. Not only will Stajan push Daymond Langkow for the number spot at center to play with Jarome Iginla but his acquisition will probably push the likes of Olli Jokinen out of Calgary. There are already rumors swirling about the possibility of Jokinen being shipped to the New York Rangers in exchange for Chris Higgins and Ales Kotalik.

Along with Stajan up front comes winger Nik Hagman who will add some scoring on the wing where the Flames haven’t had much other then Iginla and Rene Bourque. Hagman scored his 20^th goal in a loss to the L.A Kings on January 26^th. This marks the third straight season where Hagman has scored 20 or more goals.

On the back end the Flames added Ian White, who has really made a name for himself in Toronto this season. Although he may be unknown in other hockey markets White was arguably the Leafs top defenseman this season. At many points of the season he was the only plus rated player and was logging the minutes of a number one or two defenseman averaging 23:46 minutes a game. White has also scored nine goals this season and got a lot of opportunity on the Toronto power play.

The Flames also added Jamal Mayers who brings a major physical presence as well as a lot of penalty kill experience which the Flames lost in Fredrik Sjostrom.

In getting rid of Phaneuf yes the Flames lose a big time young defenseman but it almost seemed like there wasn’t room for an offensive, expensive defenseman like Phaneuf on the Flames roster. Jay Bouwmeester and Robyn Regehr make a combined 10.5 million dollars this season and Mark Giordano has proven he can log the minutes of a top four NHL defenseman averaging close to 21 minutes per game as well as chip in offensively. He already has eight goals and 15 helpers this season.

So yes at the end of the day the Leafs end up with a big name player, but the Flames add major depth and secondary scoring with their acquisitions from the Leafs.

Acquisitions that without a doubt will spring the Flames back into a playoff spot in the Western Conference.

Fighting Hart

So after a hiatus of about three full months “The D League” is back blogging for the sports page network. So lets get right to it.

It’s been an eventful first half of the NHL season; we’ve seen broken records, fired coaches and an abundance of stars injured. But with the season half gone there’s no better time then now to decide who the leagues MVP is thus far.

And the nominees are:

Marian Gaborik, New York Rangers: For all of his nine years in the NHL Gaborik has been seen as a tremendous offensive talent who has been plagued by injuries. The ultimate question has always been what can he do with a full season of play under his belt? Especially since in just 17 games last season he notched 13 goals and 23 points.

Well since being picked up by the New York Rangers this past off season Gaborik has proved himself to be an elite NHL forward leading the league in goals with 28 and second in the league in points with 53. Ranger fans knock on wood because a healthy Gaborik would make him one of a handful of game breakers in the NHL.

Ryan Miller, Buffalo Sabres: Believe it or not, only one goalie ever has managed to capture the Hart Trophy, that being Jose Theodore in 2001-2002 after a remarkable season in Montreal. But Ryan Millers numbers this season speak large dividends as to why the Buffalo Sabres goaltender should get serious consideration for the trophy.

Millers save percentage (.934), goals against average (2.05) and shutouts (5) are all number one in the league for goaltenders who have played the majority of their clubs games. (Boston Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask technically holds the top GAA in the league with 1.92 but he’s only started 17 games.) Also Miller’s 24 wins is second among all goaltenders to only New Jersey Devils, Martin Brodeur who’s 27 wins leads the league.

Henrik Sedin: I had an extremely tough time choosing a third candidate for the award for the obvious reason that Joe Thornton is tied for the leagues lead in points with Henrik Sedin at 58.

But, at the end of the day what separated Sedin from Thornton is the division of goals and assists between the two players. Both primarily play makers Sedin has shown a stronger ability to put the puck in the net then his counterpart. Also, most experts would have figured that Sedin would have struggled when his brother Daniel was injured early in the season but Henrik averaged a point a game in his brothers 18 game absence. What would happen if you took Heatley away from Thornton?

At the end of the day both are great players but I felt Sedin was more worthy of the nomination.

My mid-season hart trophy winner: Ryan Miller. Sabres fans just pray that Miller doesn’t fall off the face of the planet like Jose Theodore did after he won the Hart with Montreal in 2002.

What does everybody else think?

Post a comment below with your nominees and winner.

Guest Column: Looking Ahead In NCAA Football

The NCAA football schedule hits Week 12 and already attention is focused on the SEC Championship game, to be played a couple of weeks from now. It will, barring a complete disaster, be a matchup between the #1 Florida Gators and the #2 Alabama Crimson Tide. This sports betting website currently has the Gators as the odds-on favorite to win the SEC at 5/9, with Alabama sporting odds of 7/5.

The BCSí Top 5 teams remain unchanged from the week previous with the Gators at the top, the Tide No. 2 and the Texas Longhorns, TCU Horned Frogs and Cincinnati Bearcats rounding out the Top 5 in that order.

Florida hasnít deviated from top spot since the BCS rankings first came out a little over a month ago and with two more easy games before the conference championship, there is no reason why the Gators shouldnít remain at the top of the BCS rankings heading into the big game.

This week, Florida has a tilt against the Florida International Golden PanthersÖthis should be a blowout. It is one of the biggest pointspread margins of the season with, sports betting sites listing the Gators as 43-point favorites.

Florida is currently riding an 11-game straight up winning streak. They have recorded a mark of 9-5-1 ATS the last 15 times theyíve been listed as a favorite of 8 points or more, but theyíre only 2-5-1 ATS in the last eight in that spread range. Although 43 points is a wild spread to ask a team to cover.

Sports bettors are still enamored with the #1 team in the nation, as 74% of all the betting volume on this is laying the 43 points.

A quick note on the Total in this one: the last eight times the Gators have been favored by eight points or more, they have a mark of 1 Over, 6 Unders and 1 Push.

The Gators should be able to get by FSU the week after when the cross-state rivals meet.

Since 1995, Florida is 5-2 ATS in seven home games against the Seminoles.

All signs point to the Gators being undefeated going into the early-December SEC title match against Alabama.

With the exception of a blip in early-November, Alabama has been a constant in the BCSí two-spot this season.

The Tide also have a powder-puff game this coming week against Chattanooga, but looking ahead, there could have trouble vs. the Auburn Tigers during Thanksgiving weekend.

ëBama has struggled in its last eight games against Auburn, going 2-6 SU (these two have recorded 2 Overs and 6 Unders in those games).

In the Tideís last seven road games against the Tigers however, they may be 2-5 SU but are 5-2 ATS.

Alabama has been a great road team in its last nine overall away games, going 8-1 SU and an impressive 8-1 ATS.

This much-anticipated SEC Championship matchup in a couple of weeks will be the biggest game of the year so far in college football.

Good luck this weekend.

YouTube's Latest Sensation And A Coaching Protege

In 2006 the hockey world was introduced to Brendan Peters otherwise known as “mini kipper,” an 11-year-old boy who lives in Calgary and became famous from copying anything and everything Calgary Flames goaltender, Mikka Kiprusoff did. (click here to see “mini kipper”)

But recently the world has been introduced to a new sports impersonator, Josh Sacco.

Sacco has become the latest YouTube sensation with his impersonation Kurt Russell’s (who plays famous coach Herb Brooks in the movie Miracle) speech to the U.S Olympic hockey team before upsetting the Soviet Union in 1980.

A four-year-old toddler, from Spring Hill, Tennessee, a town just outside of Nashville, Josh enjoys the movie Miracle so much that has seen it close to 150 times.

In his rendition, Josh hits the mark on everything that Kurt Russell has to offer, from the pat on Jack O’Callahan’s back (Saaco pats his air hockey table) to the beige sport jacket and powder blue button down shirt.

The only thing the kid seems to be missing is Russell’s comb over style haircut and his illustrious plaid pants. Maybe a pair of checkered Joe Boxer pajama pants would have sufficed for Josh.

The video, which is posted on YouTube has reached over 700,000 views and 539 comments.

And it doesn’t stop there, The Ellen Degeneres show as well as the Sports Illustrated and USA Today web sites have featured the video too.

Not to mention that The Minnesota Wild and The University of Minnesota have contacted Jim, and the Nashville Predators invited Josh to recreate the speech for a scoreboard video that will debut during the team's home opener on October 8^th.

One of the most impressive parts about Rizzo’s (Josh’s nickname, after 1980 U.S Olympic captain Mike Eruzione) interpretation of Russell is that he is unable to even read yet. Meaning that there was no speech coach or script to help Josh along the way.

But what’s next for Josh?

Well with the 2010 Winter Olympics only months away and the U.S hockey team skating is as an underdog, maybe they need a little Josh Sacco to push them in the right direction.

“Tonight we skate wif em. Tonight we stay wif em and we shut them down because we can.” – Josh Saaco.

Click here to check out the video, its sure to make your day.

Pulling The Plug On Toskala This Early Would Be Wrong Move For Leafs

Let me start by giving Toronto Maple Leaf fans a little flashback. Two years ago, Montreal Canadiens goaltender Carey Price was a rookie and was given the reigns of the Canadiens after general manager Bob Gainey traded starter goalie Cristobal Huet to the Washington Capitals.

Few questioned the move of trading Huet because Price was seen as the next golden boy in goal for the Canadiens. In fact, an article posted on NHL.com in 2008 compared Price to Patrick Roy. Roy is arguably the greatest goaltender to ever play the game.

The same season that Huet left Montreal, Price nearly led the first seeded Canadiens to a first round exit in the playoffs when the Canadiens nearly lost to the eighth seeded, Boston Bruins in game seven.

But few called out the rookie goaltender because it was his first ever playoff series.

But in 2008-2009 Price showed little signs of improvement, his 23 wins was 23rd among NHL starting goaltenders and his save percentage of .905 was 26th among NHL goaltenders who played more then 40 games.

And it didn’t take the Montreal faithful long to turn against Price once the playoffs came around. In the second period of game four in the first round against the Boston Bruins, Montreal fans cheered sarcastically when Price made a stop on a dump in from Boston after already allowing three goals. Price finished the series 0-4 with a 4.11 GAA and a .878 save percentage. Disastrous numbers to say the least from a goalie who was supposed to be leading factor to the Canadiens success.

Moral of the story is that Price faltered under the immense pressure in Montreal and was made the starting goaltender in 2008 after only 26 NHL career games played.

Now how does this relate to the Toronto Maple Leafs?

Well after a tough loss last night ironically to Carey Price and the Montreal Canadiens Leaf fans are already calling into radio stations saying that they want starting goaltender Vesa Toskala out and young backup Jonas Gustavsson in.

I say that’s the wrong answer.

If the Leafs pull the plug this early on Toskala and Jonas Gustavsson plays great, Brian Burke is left to deal with a four million dollar back up goaltender in Toskala who he can’t move.

Leaf fans who like Gustavsson should be hoping that Toskala plays the first chunk of the season and plays well so he can give himself some value and making it easier for Brian Burke to move him later on in the year if they choose to go with Gustavsson as their number one goaltender.

And even if Burke is able to move Toskala things can still go south. Leaf fans need to be aware of the possibility of Gustavsson folding under the pressure of playing in Toronto, much like what Carey Price has done in Montreal over the past two years.

Then you’re left with no goalie.

The only way to handle this situation it seems is to give both goaltenders a chunk of games. If after that Brian Burke and Ron Wilson are convinced that Gustavsson is the starting goalie that’s a situation you deal with when the time comes.

But to say Toskala needs to get out of the net after one poor performance is simply ridiculous and unfair.

And even more ridiculous is to say that Jonas Gustavsson deserves to come in as the starter, he has yet to play a full NHL game!

So Leaf fans before you start to hop on the Gustavsson bandwagon maybe you want to watch him play a real game first.

Kessel Gamble Should Pay Off For Leafs

Guest Column - By: Adam Halberstadt

The rumors had been circulating for months. Ever since the fall through of the draft day deal between the Boston Bruins and Toronto Maple Leafs involving Phil Kessel, you just knew that Toronto Maple Leafs GM, Brian Burke wasn’t finished in his pursuit of Kessel.

In the days leading up to the draft in late June, the media was abuzz with rumors surrounding a potential trade that would see the Maple Leafs ship veteran defenceman Tomas Kaberle to the Bruins in exchange for 21 year old winger Phil Kessel. However, miscommunication between the two teams caused the potential deal to collapse, and Kessel - a restricted free agent coming off a career-best 36-goal campaign – proceed to negotiate a new deal with the Boston Bruins.

In the days leading up to training camp, the media learned that the Kessel negotiations had come to a standstill and it seemed as though a deal with the Bruins and Kessel would not be consummated in the near future.

This was all Brian Burke needed to hear. As with the John Tavares sweepstakes, Burke made it open to the media that Phil Kessel was a player whom he believed fit the build of the top line forward he had been searching for in the off-season. After an attempt at signing unrestricted free agent forward Michael Cammalleri was unsuccessful, Burke was unable to land a top six forward to help strengthen the Maple Leafs scoring depth. However, with the opportunity to now pursue a trade or sign restricted free agent Kessel to an offer sheet, Burke was not going to let the chance slip through the cracks.

In the end, Burke was able to pry Kessel out of Boston, but at a steep price. He mortgaged the Leafs future by trading a first round pick and a second round pick in next years draft as well as a first round pick in the 2011 draft. News of the trade left Leafs Nation with mixed feelings. Kessel was indeed the player Toronto desperately needed but the fact that it took three draft choices to land the speedy winger created cause for concern, as it seemed as though it was a case of history repeating itself in Leaf land. (trading away the future that is)

But to put things into perspective, let us keep a few things in mind. Kessel is only 21 and is coming off a 36-goal season, not to mention he did it in only 70 games. He was drafted 5^th overall in 2006 and has already played three full years at the NHL level. This isn’t another Owen Nolan or Brian Leech scenario where first round picks and prospects were exchanged for a superstar on the decline. This kid is young, quick and has plenty of goals - and years - ahead of him.

First round picks are not always a sure thing, especially when they occur late in the round. Brian Burke is a true believer that Kessel is one of the missing pieces to the puzzle, and the picks that the Bruins have received will not be in the top 10.

Burke was brought into Toronto and given full autonomy because he has a track record of taking risks that proved successful. Let’s all have a little faith and trust that Burke and his staff have made the right decision. We all know it would be a hell of a lot worse if a GM like Bryan Murray were at the helm, because in the situation of the Ottawa Senators, a lack of risk taking has turned a Stanley Cup contending team into one still searching for an identity.

Giving John Ferguson Some Thanks

Ok Leaf fans don’t exit the screen just yet, here me out first.

Like most other Maple Leaf fans from about 2004-2008 I wanted to pull my hair out at almost every transaction former GM, John Ferguson Jr. made. Andrew Raycroft, Jason Allison, Jeff O’neill, Eric Lindros, Brian Leetch as well as many others were players picked up by Ferguson and all were basically disasters or were signs of plain bad managing.

Raycroft was as good as having Carlton the Bear in between the pipes, Jason Allison was as speedy former Toronto Raptor, Oliver Miller (if you don’t remember Miller click here for a photo and you can picture how fast he was on the hardwood) and Brian Leetch’s tenure in Toronto was as almost as long as Alonzo Mourning’s.

Yes, I could go on for days about Tuukka Raske away for Justin, unloading 10 draft picks (including three first rounders) and giving Pavel Kubina, Tomas Kaberle, Mats Sundin and Darcy Tucker no trade clauses, but why bother?

Ferguson is gone and finally the Leafs are moving in the right direction. And I don’t think I’m alone when I say the pre season has been a breath of fresh air watching the young kids dominate all over the ice.

But where did they all come from?

Yes, Christian Hanson and Tyler Bozak were picked up by Brian Burke near the end of last year and Nazem Kadri was drafted 7^th overall this past summer, but what about the others?

After all, as of right now only one of the so called “kids” has gotten the nod from coach Ron Wilson to be a part of the lineup come the season opener on Thursday.

Forward, Viktor Stalberg who scored six pre season goals for the Leafs.

Another so called “kid” made a name for himself on the back end even with the strong forces they already have. Carl Gunnarsson, who had a goal, an assist and was a +3 in eight preseason games.

But where did these two “kids” come from?

Stalberg, 23 and Gunnarsson, 22 are both to old to have been drafted this past summer or even the summer before that when Cliff Fletcher was in control.

For those of you who haven’t been able to figure it out here’s a hint, JFJ.

John Ferguson drafted both Stalberg and Gunnarsson while GM of the Leafs. Unfortunately Ferguson didn’t hang on to his job long enough for him to watch both of them develop.

So I guess no matter how many mistakes Ferguson made, as we look to the present, with Stalberg rumored to be playing on the top line with Stajan and Blake and Gunnarson most likely a top the Toronto Marlies defense core I guess we kind of have to say…

Thanks John.

Islanders Reportedly Giving Rob Schremp A Chance

Rob Schremp was once one of the most exciting players to dawn a London Knights uniform. But since being drafted by the Edmonton Oilers 25th overall in the 2004 draft, Schremp hasn't been able to crack the Edmonton Oilers lineup as a regular.

Schremp was most recently cut by Edmonton two days ago after a 5-4 overtime win against the Vancouver Canucks.

"We just had quite a few similar players," said Edmonton head coach Pat Quinn on cutting Schremp." We are trying to change our appearance here and get some size and grit in our lineup and that was a factor in our decisions."

Quinn's decision would send the 23 year old Schremp back to the Oilers Springfield affiliate for the third year in a row, a team that he led in 2007-2008 with 76 points.

So Schremp's NHL hopes for 2009-2010 looked to be over but the New York Islanders have reportedly given the speedy and flashy forward a chance.

The Islanders are a young team in the rebuilding process and could be a perfect environment for Schremp to learn and develop from veteran Doug Weight as well as young forwards John Tavares, Kyle Okposo and Josh Bailey among others.

In 2005-2006 Schremp led all OHL scorers with 145 points. Below him were current NHLers such as Wojtek Wolski, Bryan Little, Bobby Ryan and then teammate David Bolland.

More so then his in game talent, Schremp is most known for his jaw dropping shootout skills which took the You Tube world by storm just a few years ago.

Click here to see for yourself. (fast forward to about 30 seconds.)

He's Still Got It: Favre Leads Vikings To Victory In Dramatic Fashion

With 10 seconds left in the 4th quarter and the Minnesota Vikings down by three to the San Francisco 49ers, Viking quarterback Brett Favre gave Minnesota fans a little magic.

With the ball on the San Francisco 32 yard line, Favre aired it out to receiver, Greg Lewis who was in double coverage. Lewis leaped somehow came down with the ball in the back of the endzone and was able to drag his right foot down for a touchdown.

The touchdown pass capped off an 80 yard drive that had the Vikings march from their own 20 yard line in just 87 seconds.

Favre's touchdown pass was his second on the day, put his passing yards to just over 300 in the game and improved the Vikings record to 3-0 in the 2009-2010 season.

The 49ers saw star running back Frank Gore go down early in the game with an ankle injury after only rushing the ball once for four yards. Gore was coming off an incredible game against the Seattle Seahawks where he rushed for 207 yards.

The loss is the 49ers first of the season as they fall to 2-1.

Next Monday night Favre will be at the center of attention when the Vikings take on his former team the Green Bay Pakers.

The Great One Steps Away From One Great Big Hockey Mess

He holds or shares 61 NHL records; he’s won four Stanley Cups, an Olympic gold medal (as GM in 2002); he’s a 10-time Art Ross Trophy winner, a nine-time Hart Trophy winner, and an 18-time NHL All Star.

He is the greatest player to ever lace up the skates or strap on a helmet, period!

But after four years behind the Coyotes bench as head coach, finishing with an overall record of 141-163-24 and months of rumors towards Gretzky leaving the Coyotes, today Wayne stepped down.

The reason behind his resignation is simple: The fact is no matter how this Phoenix bankruptcy matter works itself out, neither side had Gretzky as the future head coach. Wayne saw stepping down as the best way to move forward.

But how did he fare as a head coach in the NHL?

Some would say he failed just by looking at his losing record as head coach of the Coyotes. But, look back to the middle of January last year. The Coyotes sat in fifth place in the Western Conference and Gretzky’s name was being said in the same sentence as coaches like Claude Julien, with regards to Jack Adams nominees.

You don’t just get thrown into the mix of Jack Adams nominees without proving yourself as a legitimate head coach.

Wayne Gretzky was developing himself as a head coach. As Bill Watters put it on the FAN 590 radio show earlier today, “Wayne was a work-in-progress; he was learning on the job.”

With Gretzky still on the helm and 19 million dollars in cap space still available to the Coyotes, they could have continued to build towards success in 2009-2010.

But instead, Gretzky’s resignation digs them into a larger (of what already was) a massive hole in the ground.

The Next Step for Gretzky

I think at this point Wayne needs to take a back seat for a few days, and as Bill Watters stated, “I can bet that there will be owners lined up to try and align Wayne Gretzky with their organization within the next couple of days.”

So whether it be a front office job or an associate coaching job, Wayne will not be far from the game for long, and soon enough the opportunity will come for Wayne to be the bench boss of an NHL team.

Hopefully that team will have less baggage then the Phoenix Coyotes.

And after seeing what he can do behind the bench of another franchise, we will then be able to judge his coaching abilities.

How To Get Into Your Opponent's Head When Playing Poker

In the game of poker there are many variables that affect how well you play, and how often you come up with winning the pot. One aspect that can control is body language and getting into your opponents head.

The most common way to get into you opponents head when playing poker is to differentiate your body language. Some players who play in person and at tables will wear articles of clothing and accessories such as sunglasses to try and get into their opponents head.

The most effective way to change your opponent’s outlook of your playing style is to do something irrational, something that up until this hand has been an uncommon characteristic of you. This could be anything from looking at your cards, flashing a smile and adding a raise, commonly known as a bluff. Doing this will have your opponent questioning themselves and the quality of their hand. Making the smile near the end of the turn, or during your opponents turn will have a much more damaging effect on them.

If you are an online player, and take advantage of the poker tournaments online you can do things such as making quick calls or raises. Taking no time at all to determine your next move. An alternative to this method is to take longer than necessary to choose your next move, this will have them wondering why you are taking so long, and maybe this person is thinking everything through before they move. Likewise with the quick calls your opponent will question how this person is so confident in their cards and playing ability that they can make a decision in a split second.

If there is an online messaging system built into your online poker playing website you have the choice of words to get into your opponents head. Saying things such as this is a good hand, or anything along those lines will definitely have your opponent questioning your methods and current cards. You don't want to so anything provocative, that is an unprofessional and unclassworthy way to alter your opponent, and will most likely result in your banishment from the tournament and website.

So overall if you are playing in person, or online, there are various tricks and tips that will help you get into your opponents head, and make winning so much easier. Remember body language and varying your style to get the best results.

Lack of Ball Possession Doesn't Stop Manning In Win Over Phins

With three minutes and forty four seconds left in the fourth quarter, Indianapolis Colts reigning MVP quarterback, Peyton Manning put together a quick 80 yard drive to put the Colts up 27-23.

Although Manning stole the show late in the fourth quarter, the game had a ton of action from the Dolphins offense as well.

Courtesy of Miami's infamous "wildcat offense" running backs, Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams were able to rush for a combined 205 yards and two touchdowns. (Both by Brown)

Dolphins quarterback Chad Pennington looked decent in the loss completing 33 passes for for 183 yards but he was unable to manufacture any big plays and that is partially at the fault of his receivers. With 35 seconds left in the fourth quarter Pennington aired out a pass to Ted Ginn in the endzone but the ball slipped through the receivers finger tips.

Colts tight end, Dallas Clarke set a career high for receiving yards tonight with 183 including an 80 yard reception for a touch down on the very first play of the game.

Even though the Colts offense only had possession of the football for just over 13 minutes (less then 1/4 of the game) they were still able to improve to 2-0 this season.As for the Dolphins, they fall to 0-2 and look for their first win Sunday against the the San Diego Chargers.

New NFL Merchandise For Your Favorite Team

As the NFL season gets into full swing each fan tries to come up with more and more ways to show their favorite team's true colors.

Well the people of Accessory Geeks can be of major help.

Visit www.accessorygeeks.com and check out the latest NFL team styles for your Ipod.

Kimbo Slice's Road To Redemption Begins Tonight

It was just under a year ago that the YouTube fighting sensation, Kimbo Slice lost to Seth Putruzelli by knockout, in a fight a part of CBS Saturday Night Fights. The match lasted 14 seconds.

Putruzelli was not even supposed to be Slice’s opponent in the match, but an eye injury to Ken Shamrock (his original opponent) forced Putruzelli to step in and fight Kimbo.

At that moment in time Slice was a fighter for the Elite XC, but just weeks after his loss to Putruzelli the company went bankrupt and Slice was left on the outside of the fighting world looking in.

Slice’s fighting career didn’t begin in the ring of the Elite XC, in fact his debut in Elite XC wasn’t until November, 2007. His career began on the streets… literally. In 2003 he began fighting in unsanctioned street fights in which he brutally beat down his opponents. These fights were taped and circulated the Internet through You Tube.

When asked about Kimbo Slice, President of the UFC, (Ultimate Fighting Championship) Dana White stated that if Kimbo ever wanted to fight in the UFC he would have to go through the Ultimate Fighter television show and win it.

The Ultimate Fighter has been through nine seasons on national television and has seen fighters like Michael Bisping, Forest Griffin, Matt Serra and Rashad Evans become stars in the UFC, beginning with winning the Ultimate Fighter series.

Tonight is the premiere of The Ultimate Fighter season 10: Heavyweights and the list of 16 fighters among Kimbo Slice includes four former NFL players and the former IFL (International Fight League) heavyweight champion.

The 16 fighters will be divided up into two teams, one coached by former Light Heavyweight champion and former Ultimate Fighter winner, Rashad Evans and the other will be coached former Light Heavyweight champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson.

Is Slice’s addition to the show simply a ratings grab by UFC commissioner Dana White, or can Kimbo prove to the world that he is a true Ultimate Fighter.

Tune in tonight to find out.

Tom's Tremendous Touch Leads Pats

It was only one year ago that New England Patriots quarterback, Tom Brady went down with a torn ACL and MCL in the Patriots opener against the Kansas City Chiefs.

The injury had him miss the entire 2008-2009 season and had the Patriots miss the playoffs for the first time in six seasons.

Tonight, on the 40^th anniversary of Monday Night Football and the 50^thanniversary of the New England Patriots, the spotlight was back on Brady and he performed in dramatic fashion.

In a game that some thought would be a romp in the Patriots favour looked to be finishing quite the opposite with Trent Edwards and the Buffalo Bills leading 24-13 with just over five minutes remaining in the game.

That’s when Brady took over.

In just over three minutes, Brady drove the Patriots down to the Bills 18 yard line and threw a zinger to open receiver Benjamin Watson in the back of the end zone.

A missed two-point conversion put the score at 24-19 Bills and meant the Patriots needed the ball back and a touchdown to give them a chance to win.

It was shortly after that Bills kick returner, Leodis McKelvin fumbled on the kick off giving the Patriots the ball back on the Bills 31 yard line, with under two minutes left, and Brady the opportunity to harness a victory.

Brady capitalized; hitting Benjamin Watson again over the middle with 50 seconds left giving the Pats a 25-24 lead.

And the Bills inability to put together a quick offensive drive and get into field goal range gave the Patriots a big opening victory.

Although Brady’s numbers were solid, throwing for 378 yards and two touchdown passes, his game was far from perfect as he failed to throw the deep ball.

But when it counted Brady performed at an MVP caliber.

In other notes:

Trent Edwards looked solid for Buffalo throwing 212 yards and two touchdowns.
Wes Welker proved to be one of Brady’s favorite targets making 12 catches for 93 yards.
In the battle of #81, Randy Moss proved to be the better receiver tonight, making 12 catches for 141 yards compared to Terrell Owens one catch for 27 yards.

Dammit Terrell I had my popcorn ready.

Derek Jeter: Making History On A Historic Day

I remember it vividly. I was in my sixth grade gym class when our gym teacher got a phone call. We were young, so hearing a phone ring in the middle of class was unusual and the class broke into laughter as we listened to the teachers ring tone go off.

He walked back into the gym after being on the phone for a little over a minute with a distraught look in his face. “A plane just crashed into one of the Twin Towers,” he said in his deep Yugoslavian accent.

It was Sept. 11th, 2001.

I was only ten years old at the time so I was not big on watching the news but I remember not being able to take my eyes off CNN that day as over and over they played the clip of the two planes crashing into the towers.

For weeks they had memorials, ceremonies, and moments of silence for those who had gone missing or been killed in the terrorist attack. But no ceremony sticks out more to me now than the one on Sept. 26th, 2001.

It was the first game the Yankees had at home since the attacks, so New York mayor, Rudy Guiliani joined members of the FDNY and NYPD on the field of Yankee Stadium for a pre-game ceremony. They were given a “boisterous ovation” as Sports Illustrated described it, from the 33,777 Yankee fans who gathered at Yankee Stadium that night.

I’m sure the millions watching at home were on their feet too.

They say sport has the power to bring people together in times of tragedy and that night was a prime example.

Where else could close to 35,000 New Yorkers get together in one place to cheer for the heroes of their city and watch a team that they all love dearly?

Eight years later on the anniversary of Sept. 11th, baseball fans have the opportunity to tune in and watch history in the making.

On Wednesday, Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter tied Yankee legend Lou Gehrig’s hit record at 2,721, tying the two for most career hits as a New York Yankee.

So tonight as we remember the tragedy of eight years past, New Yorkers and baseball fans alike can also celebrate as we watch one of the best and classiest players of our time attempt to break an extremely meaningful record.

As Gehrig's famous saying goes, "today I consider myself the luckiest man in the world."

All of us watching tonight should consider ourselves lucky too.

Fantasy Hockey: Who Do You Have At Number Four?

What I love about a hockey pool isn’t drawing the first or second pick and inking either Alex Ovechkin, Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin to my roster (although I’ll happily take any of those three.)

Personally, I love when the grind begins. During the 7th, 8th, 9th or even 10th round of your draft depending on how many people are in your league. Drafting a player like Marc Savard in 2005 (when he was a nobody) at the point in the draft when some feel the picks don’t matter, and then watching Savard have a career year, performing better fantasy wise then even your first pick... Yes that actually happened to me.

But this season "the grind" may get going a little bit faster then usual, quite frankly faster then you can count to the number four.

You don’t have to be a big hockey fan to know that 1,2,3 in a fantasy draft is going to go Ovechkin, Crosby, Malkin (in no particular order) but after that its anybody’s guess… even those of us who consider ourselves big hockey fans.

So since the busiest people in the NHL during the summer are the General Managers we’re going to give them a break and you’re going to take your best shot at being a GM.

Your one job, deciding who to pick fourth in a fantasy hockey pool.

To make this a little fun after reading this article please take a quick second to answer the poll question on the right side with the player you would pick fourth in a draft from the list provided. (If you're reading this on Dustin's D League site just click the link below to complete the poll.)

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/251804-fantasy-hockey-who-do-you-have-at-number-four

So without further adieu, your options.

Option 1: Ryan Getzlaf

In just four NHL seasons Getzlaf has gone from a work in progress to a star in full stride. Last season he tallied a career high of 91 points, and led the 8th seeded Ducks to the western conference finals.

But what makes him stand out from the others? Well at just 24 years old Getzlaf has already hoisted the Stanley Cup and a pattern in his career numbers show that his point totals increase significantly season by season. Maybe 2009 is Getzlaf’s 100-point campaign.

However Getzlaf does have some negative side in the fantasy world for those of you who play with goals worth more then assists. Getzlaf has yet to break the 30 goal plateau in his career, 25 being his career high.

Option 2: Zach Parise

The young speedy forward iced almost every one of his career totals with 94 points last season leading a fresh new trend in New Jersey… Goal scoring. Like Getzlaf, Parise’s numbers have increased significantly season by season and his +/- in 08/09 was 7th among all NHL skaters at +30.

What separates Parise from the rest is his natural ability to score goals. His 45 goals last season was 3rd among all NHLers. Also injury has yet to plague Parise, in his four seasons he has just missed two regular season games.

Unfortunately the Devils fresh style of play could be shut down as defensive specialist Jaques Lemaire has taken over behind the bench. Lemaire’s trap approach to the game could cut down on the Devils time in the offensive zone and thus chip away at Parise’s offensive numbers.

Option 3: Ilya Kovalchuk

The Russian sniper has been an elite NHL goal scorer since his rookie career when he tallied 29 goals in just 65 games. Since then we’ve seen Kovalchuk score 40 plus goals five times over the last six seasons.

What separates Kovalchuk from the stars is the fact that he’s in a contract year and we all know how players put in extra jump in their game when they know it will pay big dividends in dollars at the end of the season.

Unfortunately Kovalchuk falters from being on a bottom feeder team. Never in his career has Kovalchuk been a plus in the +/- category and I doubt this year will be any different. If you were curious, his career total in that category is a -85.

Option 4: Jarome Iginla

Arguably the most all around player in fantasy hockey Iginla seems to grind his way to glory year in and year out. He has scored 35 plus goals in each of the last seven seasons.

His ability to consistently perform on the power play is what gives him an extra stride. His 291 career power play points gives him the edge in fantasy leagues that score power play points as worth more then even strength points.

However, experts are saying that no Mike Cammalleri could be a detriment to Iginla’s offensive numbers. As well last season was the first time since 2003 that Iginla has fallen into the minus category in +/-.

Option 5: Pavel Datsyuk

When you’re playing in a winning environment, odds are you’re going to play like a winner and there is no doubt that that has been the case for Detroit Red Wings star forward, Pavel Datsyuk. For three straight years Datsyuk has had 60 plus assists and his +/- last season was third in the NHL at +34.

His defensive abilities are unlike some other snipers within the NHL. He plays in the defensive zone with the same intensity that he does in the offensive zone. That ability leads to more ice time that sometimes can translate into more offensive production.

While other players named above may still have more to prove, Datsyuk may have reached his maximum. As well Datsyuk goes through streaks where he may go a number of games without scoring a single goal.

Option 6: Other

The other selection is more for the poolie who may like taking a top notch goaltender in the first round. Otherwise there are few other names aside from maybe Jeff Carter and Joe Thornton who could be considered as a top eight or nine selection.

In truth any of these guys will make a good 4th pick making your job as GM hard to mess up but please don't follow Yahoo! Sports and take Corey Perry if you pounce on that mystery fourth pick.

Baseball's Golden Boy and Our Generations Last Hope

Yesterday afternoon Albert Pujols hit his 42^nd homerun of the 2009 season.

But that homerun means so much more then pushing Pujols to 69^th all-time in home runs, it gives baseball fans a glimmer of hope that “hey maybe there is one big time power hitter of our time who isn’t on steroids.”

But then on the other hand maybe he just hasn’t got caught yet.

I don’t mean to take a cheap shot at Pujols because as a sports fan I know important it is for the game of baseball to have a guy like Pujols smashing dingers without cheating but as a sports fan I also know that at this point its hard to believe anybody isn’t shooting up or popping pills in baseball.

But following what Pujols does both on and off the field it would be heart breaking to find out that this guy was cheating.

Pujols first child Isabella was born with Down syndrome and in 2005 him and his wife Deidre launched the Pujols Family Foundation which is dedicated to the love, care and development of people with Down syndrome. As well the Foundation focuses on helping the poor in the Domincan Republic, Pujols home.

The Albert Pujols Wellness Center is scheduled to open this fall, and is dedicated to helping adults with Down syndrome. Pujols also supports the Ronald McDonald House and the Boys and Girls Club of America.

In 2008 Pujols was commended by baseball for his work off the field when he was presented with the Roberto Clemente Award, an award presented to the one player who exemplifies sportsmanship, community involvement and contribution to his team.

On the field Pujols accomplishments are also tough to compare with. In just his ninth season in the majors Pujols sits at 361 homeruns, hitting for 40 plus homeruns in five of those seasons including this season. To put his numbers into perspective, it took Barry Bonds 14 seasons to hit 361 homeruns and Alex Rodriguez 11 seasons. Pujols is also only 29 years old meaning he’s got many years left to try and give Bonds homerun record a run for its money… Legally.

Interestingly enough Pujols home run numbers have consistently stayed above 30 over the course of his career, unlike someone like Barry Bonds. At the beginning of Bonds career he weighed 185 lbs and only hit for 40 plus homeruns twice in his first 10 seasons. By 1997 he weighed 205 lbs and by 2001 (the same year he hit for the record 73 homeruns) Bonds weighed 228 lbs. He stayed that weight to the end of his career and from 1997 to 2007-he hit for 40 plus homeruns seven times.

As for Pujols, there are no exact stats but all you have to do is look at pictures of when he came into the league and look at pictures of him now to see that there has been no significant changes to his body type unlike a Barry Bonds.

Pujols also holds some interesting stats in 2009 that the average baseball fans may not look at. He leads the league with 39 intentional walks, on base percentage (.443) and slugging percentage (.669) For those who care to know slugging percentage is calculated by:

1. Adding up all official at bats. Do not include those at bats that resulted in a walk, sacrifices or hit by pitch.

2. Add up total bases. Total bases are how many bases you reached in all the times you hit safely.

3. Divide total bases by official at bats.

The equation basically calculates how powerful the hitter is, the record being held by Barry Bonds (.863) who set it in 2001. Pujols has led the league in this category three of the last four years.

When asked about Pujols, Kansas City Royals ace pitcher Zach Greinke simply said, “You come to learn that every hitter is human, except Pujols.”

So as Pujols tries to capture his 3^rd NL MVP and first homerun title, baseball fans, sit at home and pray that this one didn’t cheat.

Steve Yzerman: One Of Few Rising Stars In The Front Office

With NHL free agency settling down over the last few weeks, one of the hot topics of conversation within the hockey world seems to be the 2010 Olympics, and in my hometown its all about Team Canada.

Over the past week 40 or so Canadian players have tried to impress the coaching staff and upper management of Team Canada to try and ice one of the 20 plus roster spots for Vancouver 2010.

But rather then giving my predictions of who’s going to make the squad and who’s not, I thought I’d look at someone involved with Team Canada who is working his way up to one day being a prime NHL general manager.

Steve Yzerman.

What were once the stars of my generation on the ice are now becoming the men in suits who we see quick flashes of during games sitting up in the executive boxes. Brett Hull, Steve Yzerman, Joe Nieuwendyk and most recently Mark Messier just to name a few.

Yzerman seems to be getting all the necessary credentials that will eventually put him in charge of an NHL franchise. He currently serves as the Vice President of the Detroit Red Wings, working with the NHL’s top GM, Ken Holland, and is the executive director for Team Canada 2010. He also captured gold as the GM of Team Canada at the IIHF World Championships in 2007.

But Brett Hull seems to be the only one of the four I mentioned earlier with at least a season of GM experience that being with the Dallas Stars from 2007-2009. (Nieuwendyk has taken over the position) However, he never seemed to be in the sports news doing very much positive during his tenure.

For one, Hull took major heat last season after his Sean Avery signing went sour. According to Sports Illustrated the Avery signing was considered Hull’s baby after the two were teammates in Detroit and shared a house together. Hull had thought that Avery’s energy would help a Dallas dressing that seemed to be going stale.

Obviously not the case.

Before I start to blabber my main point is that Brett Hull wasn’t fit to be an NHL general manager. After less than a season of front office experience Hull was appointed as co-GM with Les Jackson. It simply wasn’t logical.

But its not only former NHL stars who have struggled in the front office recently, Tampa Bay Lightning owners Steve Koules and Len Barrie are having trouble as well. Since the two took over the Lighting at the end of the 2008 season there have been reports that they've had heated arguments on various subjects such as the future of GM Brian Lawton and star forward Vinny Lecavalier. Former head coach of Tampa Bay, John Tortorella was quoted referring to Barrie and Koules as a couple of cowboys, and the two allegedly lied to former stud defenseman Dan Boyle trading him to San Jose shortly after signing him to a contract extension.

Simply another case of bad management due to lack of experience.

In the past we've seen other people with lack of experience take over NHL franchises such as former Toronto Maple General Manager John Ferguson Jr.

But it’s not all bad the NHL is lucky to have new up and coming faces like Boston Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli who led the Bruins to first place in the Eastern Conference in 09 in just his third season as GM. He is also responsible for bringing in Jack Adams trophy winner Claude Julien.

As well Mark Messier has now stepped into a front office role with the New York Rangers as special assistant to GM Glen Sather.

As for Yzerman, hopefully one day he can leave a legacy performing off ice duties on par to the legacy he left performing on the ice.

A Dramatic Summer To Say The Least

For me, summertime is the most boring time of the year when it comes to the sports world, because quite frankly, I can’t get my mind invigorated in the game of baseball.

So since baseball takes over summer like anabolic steroids takes over baseball players, there isn’t much left for me to watch other then poker and bowling.

Not taking anything away from tennis or golf, but what kept me entertained in sports this summer was all the drama that occurred both on and off the playing field in all sports.

It's like MTV came in and said that the sports world needed to spice things up for the slow moving summer.

So the same people who brought you The Hills and Laguna Beach decided to bring a show that would just encompass all the sports world had to offer in the summer of 2009 in one six episode mini series called, Lying, Cheating, Stealing and Killing Dogs…The Life of a Pro Athlete.

Episode 1: Homeless

In the heat of NHL free agency, one story seemed to be recurring day after day.

Dany Heatley demanded to be traded from the Ottawa Senators early in July. Despite the shock felt from Senators GM Bryan Murray, he found an offer for Heatley that would move him to the Edmonton Oilers. The trade failed to go through because Heatley rejected it. Close to two months later Heatley is still searching for a new home, but for now he’s stranded in Ottawa. If I were him, I wouldn’t want to step foot in the Senators' dressing room.

Leaving Heatley nothing, but homeless.

Episode 2: Caught Shooting Up

The Major League Baseball steroid saga has gone from crazy to outlandish. First Roger Clemens then Andy Pettitte, then A-Rod, Manny, and now David Ortiz.

Ortiz was among what is now known as "The list" of over 100 players who tested positive for performance enhancing drugs in 2003. Thus raising the question again: Who isn’t on steroids?

Episode 3: Cabbie

Just weeks ago Patrick Kane of the Chicago Blackhawks was arrested along with his cousin in his hometown of Buffalo, NY after allegedly assaulting a cab driver for 20 cents.

The cab fare was apparently $13.80 and Kane and his cousin handed the driver $15. When the driver only handed them back $1 in change, the two assaulted the driver over the 20-cent difference.

Kane is set to make $875,000 this season with a $2.85 million bonus.

Episode 4: Second Chances

We’ve been waiting for almost two years to see if a team would give Michael Vick a chance, after he was released from prison for upholding a dog-fighting ring within his own home.

Well despite what the dog lovers of Philadelphia may think, the Eagles have taken a chance on Vick signing him to be the backup for quarterback Donovan McNabb. Time will tell if Vick still has the jaw dropping speed and agility that once made him an elite NFL quarterback.

Episode 5: Back yet Again

After all the speculation, Brett Favre has once again decided to stick around the NFL for another season, this time with the Minnesota Vikings. I personally think it's enough already, hasn’t the guy tarnished his legacy enough?

Episode 6: He She

To close out the summer of scandals, my personal favorite, is Caster Semanya: man or woman?

Semanya won the gold medal for South Africa in the women's 800 meter at the World Athletic Championships in Berlin on Aug. 19. But her deep voice and manly build left people asking whether she was actually a woman, literally. Semanya is now being tested by a team of doctors to figure out if shes really a woman.

There were other dramatic moments this summer like San Jose Sharks Patrick Marleau’s captaincy being stripped, and Michael Beasley of the Miami Heat checking into a rehab center, however, the show writers didn’t have enough room to mention everything in the six episode arc that MTV gave the mini series.

The sad part about all this summer drama is the real sports action falls by the waste side, and their were some fantastic moments this summer. Y.E Yang became the first Asian born male golfer to win a major title defeating Tiger Woods at the PGA Championship, Roger Federer and Andy Roddick relinquished their rivalry in one of the most epic Wimbledon finals ever, and Usain Bolt broke yet another world record.

Forget Semanya somebody should test Bolt, because there is no way he is human.

Working Against the Cap: Who Can The Blackhawks Afford to Keep?

The NHL salary cap has been slightly increased for the 2009-2010 season from $56.7 million to $56.8 million.

This came as a surprise to some NHL general managers including Toronto Maple Leafs GM Brian Burke who said he’d be shocked if the cap didn’t drop a couple million dollars this season in an interview with a New Jersey newspaper in May.

However, general managers across the league are more concerned with the effect the economy will play on next years salary cap, with rumors swirling of the cap dropping significantly next season, possibly to 50 million dollars.

Since 2005 the salary cap has gone up significantly each year allowing teams to have some wiggle room to make off-season acquisitions, however a drastic fall in the cap could catch teams off guard and could be a thorn in their side in trying to build a consistently competitive franchise.

One team in particular that worries me is the Chicago Blackhawks.

The Hawks are a team that resurged themselves this past season led my offensive young guns, Pat Kane and Jonathan Toews, making the playoffs for the first time since 2002 and marching all the way to the Western Conference Finals where they lost to the Detroit Red Wings in five games.

In the off-season the Blackhawks signed offensive forward Marian Hossa to a monster 12-year deal as well as Tomas Kopecky from the Red Wings and John Madden from the New Jersey Devils to short term contracts.

The Blackhawks are four million dollars over the salary cap going into the 2009-2010 season but that isn’t quite what worries me. It’s that as of now there cap hit for 2010-2011 is already estimated at 42.5 million.

And that’s with 10 free agents including stars Pat Kane and Jonathan Toews. Luckily for Chicago Toews and Kane are still under rookie contracts which pay them $875,000 each this season otherwise the Hawks cap hit this season would be in the high sixties.

My point is that Toews and Kane’s rookie contracts expire come July 1^st 2010 and if they both live up to the obvious on ice expectations this season odds are they are going to want deals which pay them upwards of four million dollars a piece.

That would make the Hawks cap hit higher then the possible 50 million dollar cap of 2010-2011. Leaving them with eight free agents including a backbone defenseman Duncan Keith who only makes 1.9 million this season, playmaker Andrew Ladd, role players John Madden, Ben Eager and Adam Burish and other roster fillers on forward, defense and between the pipes with very little to no cap space to sign them all.

And knowing Patrick Kane he’ll fight for every penny he can get… literally. Good luck Stan Bowman.

Looking Back: NHL's Booms and Busts of 2008 Free Agency

I’ve decided that I’m not going to bore anyone with another article on my prediction for Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals tonight. I’ve read plenty already, most of which make great points favoring either the Wings or the Pens.

One thing I can say is that at the end of tonight one team, either Detroit or Pittsburgh will hoist Lord Stanley’s mug. But come tomorrow, hockey fans will need more to think about, listen to, and watch than a piece-by-piece breakdown of Game 7.

With the NHL's free agency only a few weeks away, teams around the league are looking to sign big names like the Sedin twins, Martin Havlat, and Jay Bouwmeester. But every season, certain blockbuster signings turn out to be busts and some low-key signings make general managers look like geniuses.

So as the 2008-'09 season comes to a close, I thought why not look back at some of last summer's signings, including which ones turned out to be booms and which turned out to be busts.

After his third straight 30-plus goal season, on July 1 the New Jersey Devils signed veteran forward Brian Rolston to a four-year deal that would pay him just over $5 million per season. Rolston failed to produce, only notching 15 goals and 32 points.

Although he averaged five less minutes on the ice per game (just 15:05 per game) than his last season with the Wild, Rolston still scored less than 20 goals, something he hasn’t done since the 2000-'01 season.

Therefore, Rolston is a bust thus far.

Wade Redden and Markus Naslund were two big offseason acquisitions by Glen Sather and the New York Rangers. Redden signed a six-year, $39 million contract in July and Naslund signed for two years, $8 million.

However, the two failed to live up to expectations.

After a couple of rough years in Ottawa, some felt that Redden would find himself again in New York. He was never a goal-scoring machine, but he used to be someone who could anchor a power play and play solid in his own end.

In '05-'06 Redden was a +35 rating. But this season, Redden only managed to notch three goals and was a -5 rating.

As for Naslund, he had his lowest point total (46) since 1997-'98 with Vancouver. Naslund was also a -10 rating and decided at the end of this season that it was time to hang up the skates for good.

Both Redden and Naslund have been, or were, busts.

David Backes was one of many young talents to break out in St. Louis this past season. In his third NHL campaign, Backes tallied 31 goals (more than his first two seasons combined) and 54 points.

Backes and many of the St. Louis players were refreshing booms.

Possibly the biggest signing of the 2008 offseason came from Detroit in signing Marian Hossa to a one-year, $7.4 million deal. Hossa scored 40 goals this past season, helping an already strong team up front.

Who would have thought that after basically rolling through the 2008 playoffs en route to the Stanley Cup, the Wings could get more talented? Hossa proved it.

A definite 2008 offseason boom.

Chris Chelios: Time To Call It Quits?

The Detroit Red Wings are one victory away from capturing their second straight Stanley Cup and we all know that it’s their immense depth and mix of young and old that makes them so successful as a team.

But does the end of yet another Stanley Cup run, win or lose, mark the end of Chris Chelios’s 25 season NHL career where he scored 185 goals and 948 points?

Maybe it should.

What else does the guy have to prove? He’s one three Stanley Cups, three Norris Trophies, he’s played in the Olympics and been the U.S teams captain, played in 11 all-star games and his most impressive feat, he is playing at 46 years old.

I know that Chelios once said his goal is to play until he’s 50, but is he still able to keep up. Between being a healthy scratch and being injured this past season Chelios basically fell out of the Wings lineup only playing 28 games all season and tallying 0 points.

Chelios becomes an unrestricted free agent this July and any Detroit fan has to wonder if it’s in the organizations best interest to pay Chelios the $750,000 that he’s making now, next season. Even when Chelios has dressed there are certain games where he sees no more then four minutes of ice time.

In no way am I trying to bash Chelios, any player who can stay in the physical condition he’s in and play for this long deserves to be applauded, but it has gotten to the point where his age and the speed of the game have caught up to him.

Which makes sense considering some of the teams he’s playing against have players who could be Chelios’s son.

He’s even got a year up on Red Wings head coach Mike Babcock.

One of my biggest pet peeves as a fan is to watch great players play to the point where they can no longer compete at a high level.

Chris Chelios is a future Hall of Famer and one of the best defenseman of our. If the Wings can pull off a victory on Tuesday or Friday, what better way to end your career:

Hoisting the Stanley Cup.

Just don’t break it like you’ve done before.

Alex Rios Needs To Think Before He Acts

One of the big questions when it comes to professional athletes in modern day society is whether or not they should be role models.

In fact I wrote a huge piece on it for school. In that I gave the athletes the benefit of the doubt and basically said that these men and women are not superhuman and they are going to make mistakes whether it be Michael Phelps getting caught smoking marijuana or Toronto Maple Leafs forward Juri Tlusty posting naked pictures of himself on the internet.

But as an athlete there are certain things that just come with the territory like signing an autograph or getting a picture taken with a fan.

Athletes need to realize that they are the heroes of children around the globe like it or not.

Alex Rios, right fielder for the Toronto Blue Jays, clearly doesn’t understand that.

I was shown a video about an hour ago of Rios having words with a Blue Jays fan after he refused to sign an autograph for a kid on the streets on Toronto.

Alex was walking on the street with his girlfriend or wife when he was approached by one kid for an autograph. Not only did Rios not sign the kid’s piece of paper but he didn’t even acknowledge that the kid was standing there.

It was then that the situation escaladed.

The fan, possibly the boys father yelled, “the way you played today Alex you should be lucky someone wants your autograph.” Alex struck out five times in a game that day.

Alex responded so eloquently, “who gives a f***.”

The two went back and forth for about twenty seconds yelling at each other, Rios doing most of the swearing until Rios finally got into his car.

So lets rewind the situation. Rios’ first mistake was not even acknowledging that the kid was standing beside him asking for an autograph.

If that kid had a poster of Rios in his bedroom you can bet it’s gone now.

You know I’ll give Rios a small break here in terms of signing the autograph. But at least acknowledge the kid and say ‘hey listen buddy I’m so sorry but I gotta run.’

Rios then goes onto to drop the f-bomb three or four times to a fan on the street, in front of this young kid. Are you kidding me? Alex get into your car and walk away, you’re not only a professional athlete but an adult and there is a kid standing right there.

Rios later apologized saying that it was a long day, he was upset that he couldn’t help the team win and he lost his cool.

Sorry Rios I don’t buy it and let me explain why.

In February I was in Florida with my girlfriends family and we ran into Alex Rodriguez. Ironically, it was the same week that A-Rod had admitted to using steroids.

My girlfriends two little brothers being sports fans wanted to meet A-Rod so we went up to him. Rodriguez didn’t come off as the best guy in the world but at least he shook the boys hands and threw on a smile. He could of just as easily brushed the kids off and walked away.

Point is he made the kids night doing something so simple and I think he was going through a pretty rough day to. Considering at the time he was probably the most hated man in sports.

Athletes and celebrities need to realize that doing something so small for a fan, like giving a handshake, can go a long way.

Sad that Rios needs to take a lesson on how to be a role model from a cheater.

check out the Rios incident at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=au7J9MZ7SX0

Role Call: What the Pens Need To Win Game Four

If the Stanley Cup finals series goes six or seven games Evgeni Malkin, who sits at 33 points right now, could very well be the first player since Wayne Gretzky to score 40 points in the playoffs. (Gretzky did it in 1993)

However, Pens players, coaches and fans can’t only rely on their big guns to win games for them, especially when Sidney Crosby has only been able to muster one assist in the first three games of the Cup final.

This series lies deeper then the first line of defense or offense of the Penguins and Red Wings.

I recently wrote a piece which talked about the “unsung heroes” of Detroit and why the Wings are a modern day dynasty.

In order for Pittsburgh to be successful tonight in game four and for the rest of this series they need those types of unsung heroes, the same types of players that won them game three.

In game three Max Talbot had two goals and was a +2 rating. Talbot has been one of the only role players to show up for the Penguins, tallying six goals and nine points in 20 playoff games.

Although Kris Kunitz isn’t providing anything spectacular offensively he is making his presence felt physically. In game three Kunitz was credited with 11 hits, only five less than the entire Red Wings team.

Kris Letang logged nearly 20 minutes of ice on Tuesday night and contributed big with a goal and an assist. If Letang can continue to produce offensively some of the pressure can be taken off offensive star, Sergei Gonchar.

Who the Pens need to step up

Jordan Staal has not scored a goal in seven games and only has tallied two throughout these playoffs. I understand his job is not necessarily to put pucks in the net but if it’s to be a shutdown defensive forward then a -7 rating doesn’t cut it either.

Tyler Kennedy has established himself as a small gritty forward who can make things happen offensively as well. But he to has been nearly invisible on the scoresheet only netting three goals in 20 games, these playoffs. Much like Staal, Kennedy’s number one asset to the Pens may not be to score goals but a -5 rating isn’t what you want out of a defensive forward.

Did anybody know that Philippe Boucher was a part of the Pittsburgh defense? Yes, the same Philippe Boucher that scored 19 goals with Dallas in 2006/2007. Boucher has the ability to produce offensively but simply hasn’t shown up for the Pens, and therefore didn’t even dress for Pittsburgh in game three. If he’s given another chance he simply needs to help out on the back end.

From Talbot to Boucher, there are some Penguins who just need to continue to play their game and others who really need to step up.

A loss tonight and the Penguins can waddle onto the golf course early.

The Vets Can Still Hack It

Growing up hockey names like Sergei Gonchar, Niklas Lidstrom, Bill Guerin and Chris Osgood were hot commodities around the league.

Ten years ago Lidstrom was second among defensemen with 57 points, Gonchar was second among defensemen in goals with 21, Guerin was a 30-goal scorer and Chris Osgood’s numbers were in the upper echelon of goaltenders around the league.

It’s nice to see that 10 years later, in a league that is going through a perhaps “life cycle” and being over taken by young stars, these four veterans are helping their teams march through the Stanley Cup playoffs and finals.

Nicklas Lidstrom: Most people’s jaws drop when they hear that Nicklas Lidstrom is 39 years old because the guy play with an offensive prowess of a young kid and the shut down defensive game of a hefty veteran.

Arguably one of the best defenseman of all time has grown and matured in to the player he is now right in front of our eyes. Lidstrom’s game has stayed amazingly consistent over his 18 years in the NHL (all those with the Detroit Red Wings) only dropping below tallying less then 40 points twice in his career. (One of those years he only played 43 games.)

Lidstrom’s game is showing no signs of slowing down as he tallied 59 points and is up for his seventh Norris Trophy. He’s averaging close to 25 minutes of ice in the Stanley Cup finals as he looks to lead the Wings to another Stanley Cup.

Sergei Gonchar: Gonchar has always been known as an offensive defenseman who struggles in his own zone. However, his offensive talents have always had him near the top of the league over the past several years. The 35 year old missed much of this season due to injury, but his playoff numbers have been solid with 14 points and a +4 rating. Gonchar is proving himself to be both offensively and defensively sound, defending against some of the best players the game has to offer.

Gonchar bounced back from a knee injury in the second round of the playoffs and has been a huge factor in helping his team compete. Tuesday night Gonchar scored the game winner to cut the Red Wings series lead in half 2-1.

Chris Osgood: Osgood was called out by the media after arguably his worst season ever between the pipes and people thought that he was going to be the reason for Detroit’s downfall. Well the 36 year old did more then just bounce back in these playoffs, most members of the media have Osgood winning the Conne Smythe Trophy is Detroit goes onto win the Stanley Cup. His numbers speak for themselves, a 2.00 GAA and a .972 save percentage.

Osgood doesn’t become a UFA until 2011/2012 but one has to beg the question if he the Conne Smythe and another Cup with Chris call it quits.

Bill Guerin: Guerin was once a 50,60 and even 70-point play in his career. But over the last few seasons we haven’t seen that side of Bill Guerin. But the 39 year old has been resurged this post season. After moving from Long Island to Pittsburgh Guerin has been kind of resurged getting some time on a line with Sidney Crosby. Although he has performed very much thus far in the finals, in the past 13 games Guerin has racked in 12 points.

As some of these veterans time in the NHL ticks down it’s interesting to wonder where their respective teams would be without them.

Where would the Toronto Maple Leafs have been without Phil Housley in 2002/2003?