After all, nothing says hockey like a thoroughly greased mullet.
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Analysis, rambling and rants from around the NHL (from guys and gals who are NOT Barry Melrose).
According to a website called ongoalanalysis.com they will be. Somewhere in the upper midwest a weatherman is very excited right now.
I have no idea how this website calculates these sort of predictions or how accurate they actually are -- it's Saturday and I'm way too lazy to bother fact checking anything -- but hey, it's something. Maybe one of the more daring readers out there will attempt to do so and risk injuring their brain on a weekend. I know I don't have the cajones to do that right now.
The website also has the Penguins and Rangers locks for the postseason. Well, I guess they did make some good deadline deals, but we might as well at least let the Sabres and Canes have a chance, no?
It's all fun and games until it's mid-April and you're the ninth place team. As Domi brought up in the comments the other day, this website may have zero rooting interest in the playoffs this year as all of our favorite teams may meet that fate. There are four of us here and one team is already eliminated, another still hasn't started the season and two more are fighting tooth and nail for the chance at a first round shellacking at the hands of either the Sharks, Red Wings or Bruins.
Is this website cursed or do we all simply have poor judgement?
A few years back, I went to a Wild-Canes game with a college friend of mine (he is an Avs fan. We haven't spoken since graduation). We thought it would be cool to make some signs to pretend that there was some actual vitriol between the Wild and the Canes. We also picked the shortest name on the team (Kuba. Why we didn't go with 'Wild' I don't know) and turned it into an acronym. There was also a sign that said something about Marian Gaborik. Believe it or not, he was hurt and not playing that game.
That's not the point. We made a sign that said "go back to Hartford" and had the old Whalers logo on it. Kevyn Adams totally looked at it and probably laghed, because the logo was horribly drawn. I don't really hate the Canes though. I'm pretty indifferent about them. In fact, I sort of like them, because I'm a meteorologist and now I work with Dave, who I guess is sort of into them.
More or less, after the trading line yesterday and after what the Wild did(n't do), I need a drink.
DRINK
... if the term "sloppy seconds" is used.
... when the announcers get into a long winded explanation about how Eric Cole used to be a Hurricane and then he wasn't and now he is again. WHAT A CRAZY TRIP!!!!
... once everytime Derek Morris does something good, three times (once for every player sent to Phoenix) for every time he does something bad.
... if Nik Antropov walks around like he owns the place
... Every time they pan to the Hurricanes alternate logo, which is nautically correct! Awesome!
As you may or may not know, former Hurricane and current Toronto Marlie Bates Battaglia still lives in Raleigh and owns a rather popular downtown bar called Lucky B's. The wife and I met some friends up there last night and saw the usual debauchery. We didn't run into any players this time, however I thought I'd enlighten you with some of the typical stuff that ends up happening there:
In the off-season, you'll probably see Bates at his bar trying to, well, get lucky: You might see Johnny Grahame, pounding shots and being a douche in general.
You might see me buying two shots at the bar, turning around to find some cute girl asking if she can have one, me saying no then my wife and I drinking our shots right in front of her face and saying afterwards "Ahhh, that was awesome wasn't it?".
You might be taking a wiz and Andrew Ladd is in the stall next to you. He then proceeds to unleash a burp that shakes the Earth's foundation, prompting all the men to compliment his bodily noises.
You might see the bartenders jacking up your tab by putting some drinks you never drank on your bill.
You might get hit a few times by ping pong balls as you pass the beer pong tables in there.
You might see the Canes playing on TV, as this is certainly a good place to catch the games.
You might see a certain bald Swede, a certain USS Hal Gill (tm tPB) or select other Leafers (and former Leafs) whenever they are in town to play the Hurricanes:
If any of you have been living in a cave the past few years and don't get the whole "LOL text on photos" thing, go to Icanhascheezburger for some enlightening education.
I could have easily brought up the 2002 Eastern Conference Final or no Cups since 1967 to talk trash about the Leafs, but to paraphrase what Loser Domi said - why bother with statistical analysis and "Carolina's going to win because..." when you can get just as much of a game preview from LOLlage? So in honor of the Hurricanes hosting the Maple Leafs in Raleigh Thursday night, here we go....
As you know by now, I happen to be a Toronto Maple Leafs fan. Dave, another contributor to this fine establishment, happens to be a Carolina Hurricanes Fan. The two teams play each other on Thursday, and as a result, we have decided to do a rational, well-thought out preview LOLoff with each other's team. Here they are in all their glory:
Hello ya'll. Dave here. I'm flattered that Kevin was drunk enough kind enough to ask me to contribute here. Best of luck to him.
Kevin mentioned that I'm a Hurricanes fan. As my first post here at BMR, I'ma tell the tale of two of my fellow Caniacs. The first one you may be familiar with:
Ric Flair is a native North Carolinian. He's been doing that spiel on the jumbo-tron since around 2002 at the RBC Center every time the Canes score a goal. True story: when I was around 5 or 6 - my Pops took my brother and I out to our local hot dog stand, Doggie Diner. While we were enjoying our dogs - this pink, convertible Cadillac pulls in. Sure enough, it was "The Nature Boy" himself. He got out, waved and smiled to those of us who recognized him and ordered a foot-long hot dog. His hand was so big, that the 12" of hot dog easily fit inside the palm of his hand. (insert dirty joke here)
The man who seemed larger than life on TV battling Ricky "the Dragon" Steamboat was now just a commoner. As cool as that day was - I still get to see him all the time. You see, Ric Flair is a Hurricanes season ticket holder. He is usually always in his seat as you can't miss that flashy white hair. But man, does he look old. Like - doesn't even stand up to join in the chorus of "WOOOOs" that rain down after a goal - old.
Still, props to him for all he's done for wrestling and all he continues to do in support of the Canes.
The other person I'd like to bring to light is the one and only Dancin' Granny:
Dancin' Granny has become a fixture at the Canes games over the past few years. She's always in the same seat. She's always got her jersey on. The little old lady that can't be any taller than 5' dances her way onto the jumbotron and provides a rally cry to the team and fans. Hell, there's been nights where the Hurricanes played so bad that watching Granny dance was the highlight of the evening.
So here's to you, Nature Boy & Dancin' Granny: may the wind be at your back, your WOOOOs lively and your dance moves flashy.
Today you can add Hurricanes coach Pete Laviolette to the list of coaches that have been axed in 2008-09. He's number three on the list, behind Dennis Savard, formerly of Chicago who was let go two games into the season, and Barry Melrose, who needs no introduction around here.
The Laviolette firing proves yet again that no coach is safe no matter what they've done for the organization in the past. Lavy led the Canes to the Stanley Cup in his first full season behind the bench in 2005-06 and was let go today, almost halfway through his fourth season in the organization.
The Canes haven't made the playoffs since they won the Cup, but right now they're only three points out of the lead in the anything-can-happen Southeast division and 8th in the conference. With so many big time off-season acquisitions, it's easy to see how badly the Hurricanes were under performing. Jeff O'Neill and Joni Pitkanen were clearly the players needed to bring this team back to the top, and it was all too clear that Laviolette was doing a poor job managing a team that is by far the most talented in the league.
Naturally, the Canes brought in the only man for the job. A man who had coached the team for 8 1/2 seasons, dating back to their time in Hartford. A coach so good, so talented, that he led the Canes/Whalers out of the first round of the playoffs once during those eight years. That man, none other than Paul Maurice.
I'm calling it right now. Hurricanes sweeping their way though the playoffs to their second Stanley Cup parade. You might as well just give them the President's Trophy too.
Hopefully you had a nice Thanksgiving and got up early enough to watch the day games going on today. If you're like me, then you missed the Islanders get trashed by the Bruins and the Flyers and Canes are currently playing a thrilling 1-0 game in the second period. And by thrilling I mean 'probably not very thrilling because it's Carolina and Philly and everyone is still hungover from Thanksgiving dinner.'
Yes, it's time once again for your weekly Islanders related post. So sit down, relax, and don't get too bored.
For everyone out there who thought that Doug Weight was another washed up has been, after signing on Long Island as a UFA this summer... Well, you're wrong. At least for now. He's got six points through seven games and last night proved that he's going to give his all by destroying poor Brandon Sutter.
While I know we've been trying to maintain a YouTube diet here at BMR, I think this video is worthy of a post. Maybe we're not supposed to do the whole YouTube thing, but I give into temptation way too easily.
On Saturday night while 14 other games were going on, the Islanders took on the Hurricanes in New York. The Islanders lost 4-3, but not after letting 60 shots loose on Canes netminder Cam Ward. Yes. SIXTY. I had to do a double take, too. In the midst of Rick DiPietro getting hurt again, and an announced attendance of 11,219 -- horrible for a Saturday night, even by Islander standards -- Weight delivered a hit that sent Carolina's Brandon Sutter into another century. Right now, I imagine Sutter is trying to figure out why it feels like he's in a small western town circa 1847 and why no one seems to understand what hockey is. But for a 19-year old that partially grew up on Long Island, you have to feel for the kid.
And for the people who complain about how a fight seems to start after every big hit, this is Example 1A as to why that is. It's really a disservice to your team to not show emotion after your 19-year old teammate gets lit up.
"The league should at least stop saying it's concerned with hits to the head, because it's not," Rutherford told TSN.ca. "I've had four players - Erik Cole, Trevor Letowski, Matt Cullen and now Brandon Sutter - get badly injured on hits to the head and only one of the guys who hit them was suspended. So don't tell me the league is concerned about hits to the head because it's not.
"I realize there are only two ways you can go on this. Either you have a penalty for head-checking, like they do in the Ontario Hockey League, or you don't and we don't in the NHL and I understand that and that's fine, I guess, but don't tell anyone you care about protecting the players' heads because it's not happening."
Today we've taken the internet by storm. Four posts? That's Tie Domi-like crazy talk. So to cap off this quadruple post October Kickoff Party, we'll do another division preview. Tomorrow Ryan will be in to finish off the division previews with the Pacific. He's the Kevin Nash to my Sean Michaels (circa 1994), for those of you old school WWE fans out there. I do all the big flashy stuff and then he pile drives a guy or two through the mat to bring it all to an explosive ending.
If you want to check out any of our previous division previews, follow this link.
Atlanta Thrashers
The Firefly Forest gives us some great advice regarding Thrashers and automobiles:
Curve-billed Thrashers are perhaps one of the snoopiest birds I've ever seen. If I leave a door to my house or garage open, before long a Curve-billed Thrasher will be inside exploring around. It's almost as if opening a door to my house creates a powerful vacuum that sucks them in. No car windows can be left open beyond the tiniest crack in my driveway or you'll either find a Curve-billed Thrasher inside or the irrefutable evidence that one's been there in the form of bird droppings all over your upholstery.
It's funny that they mention this. I was in Atlanta last summer and left my windows open a bit so to try and cool off the car a bit while I went into a restaurant for lunch. About an hour later I came out and went to my car only to discover that Ilya Kovalchuk and Don Waddell had pooped all over it. I knew it was them because they scampered off after I hit the 'unlock' button on my keys. Really strange organization they're running down there.
In all serious, things don't look good for the Thrashers this year. They do have a shot at the playoffs, but I honestly wouldn't peg them higher then seventh. They're in a historically weak division, so that should help, but the Lightning, Caps and Canes are all poised to very solid teams this year. The Thrashers, not so much. They did have a 34-34-8 record last season after Bob Hartley was let go, but that just isn't going to cut it and there weren't any summer acquisitions that make me think otherwise.
What's New: Ron Hainsey should help out lots on the blueline if he can continue what he started in Columbus. John Anderson is the new coach and Jason Williams and Marty Reasoner were also brought in... But they're players.
Questions That Need Answering: Why, oh why, did Don Waddell poop in my car? Can we just have the All-Star Game in Atlanta again this year so that I can attend again?
Washington Capitals
One of the nicer surprises in the NHL last year was the resurgent Washington Capitals. They won 10 of their last 11 games to take the division crown from the Hurricanes by two points. The team re-signed a lot of their own young during the off-season, with the only major moves being letting long-time goalie Olaf Kolzig sign with Tampa and snapping up Jose Theodore. Trusting your netminding to Theodore is questionable, but he did have an excellent year last year. He's back from the netherworld where goaltenders go to die and here to destroy the living. I suggest evacuating the DC area immediately.
What's New: The goalie. A rejuvenated fanbase.
Questions That Need Answering: Can AO actually improve upon last year? Does thinking about that give you nightmares, too?
Tampa Bay Melroses Lightning
Has any team ever had a wilder off-season than the Lightning in the history of off-seasons? I can't say I remember one. I don't even know where to start with this team. There's the rockstar owners, the TV analyst turned coach (Have you heard of him?), the one and only Gary Roberts and the list goes on and on. Most teams don't have decades like this. The Lightning packed a whole bunch of wild moves into three months. But I'm getting off-topic, I'm not done here. They also added Ryan Malone, the #1 pick in the Stamkos Lottery, Vaclav Prospal (again), Mark Recchi, a division rival's netminder, Matt Carle and Andrej Meszaros. Whew. I'm gonna sit down for a minute.
What's New: In addition to everything, there are also now big expectations. With all those additions, it will be interesting to see if Coach Melrose can it all. But with such big acquisitions also come expectations. This team is expected to win and they are expected to do it now. This team is also really, really scary. They could either implode and go down in a spectacular ball of fire or they could be one of the top teams in the East. I don't think anyone is really sure what to expect right now.
Questions That Need Answering: How long till this circus falls apart? If this were really a circus, who would be the bearded lady?
Carolina Hurricanes
The Canes stood pat this summer, making some minor additions here and there. Unbelievably, they missed out on both the division title and the 8th playoff spot by two points last season. It gave meaning to the term 'Southleast' but this year it looks as if the division is poised to shake that moniker. The Canes are one of the teams looking to do just that. They did lose Bret Hedican and Glen Wesley, two important parts to their defense, but they don't look like they will be taking a step back this year. Joni Pitkanen was a nice addition and they added the re-born Sergei Samsonov in January and he put up 32 points in 38 games. How that happened, scientists will never know.
What's New: Erik Cole is out, as he was dealt to Edmonton for Pitkanen. The defense is going to have a much different look to it.
Questions That Need Answering: Would this really be a Hurricanes preview if I didn't say the word NASCAR? (sorry)
Florida Panthers
There were big shake ups in South Florida this summer as the Panthers made a multitude of moves (say that five times fast). The most notable was the FedEx-ing of Olli Jokinen out of town. He was shipped to the desert prison of the Coyotes for Nick Boynton and Keith Ballard. Jacques Martin stepped down as coach and named Peter DeBoer his successor. The team also picked up Bryan McCabe and Cory Stillman on the free agent market.
What's New: A lot. A new coach and lots of fresh faces around the organization. The defense should be solid and up front the team is putting a lot of trust into a group of young kids. It should be an interesting year in Florida.
Questions That Need Answering: Can the Panthers please start making and selling a cologne called Sex Panther? That would be hilarious LOUD NOISES
Two announcements regarding TV deals came out of the Southeast division this week and neither of them featured good news. Well one of them did -- sort of.
The Carolina Hurricanes and Florida Panthers both announced the basics of their local television coverage for the season, and both will have only 65 of 82 games available to fans in their local markets.
For the Panthers, 65 is the minimum number of games that Fox Sports/Sun Sports is required to show per their contract. So, when that contract expires, there could be bad news. I guess we'll have to wait and see. In the meantime, cutting down to the minimum -- from 70 games last year -- doesn't look good. Apparently Fox Sports is cutting down on coverage across the nation, mainly due to cost concerns, and that is now being felt by hockey fans. We all know that the market in South Florida isn't the best, but this is another small setback.
Things are a bit better in Raleigh, North Carolina. There the Hurricanes will feature 65 of 82 games on local television just like the Panthers. The difference there is that the coverage is up from only 55 games the previous year. So good news, yes, but still only 80% of games on the tube.
Can you imagine living in Montreal, Washington, etc, and not being able to watch all of your team's games? There would be riots in the streets. Well, that's probably a given in Montreal. But you know what I mean.
While these developments don't seem to be anything too new or earth shattering, especially for these two teams, it doesn't paint a bright outlook on the future. Down the road when the Panthers' TV deal expires will Fox look to lower the 65-game minimum? With the sports market for television continuing to grow and expand (look at all the new college sports networks, for example) will we see the lowest teams on the totem pole not even have TV contracts?
Right now this isn't a big deal. I'm really interested in seeing how this plays out in the future. That is mainly because for years I've been told one of the only things that kept the Islanders in New York through the 90's was an absurdly good cable television deal. Whether that's the absolute truth or not, I don't know. What I do know is that television means big money and being able to watch your local team has been a right -- not a privilege -- for fans for the last 10 to 15 years. If or when that changes, some of us could be in for a rude awakening.
Who knows, maybe in 10 years we'll all be watching games on Center Ice. Hell, we might all just be watching NHL.tv on our laptops. I think that may be the more likely scenario. Of course, by 2030 the games will be beamed straight into our skulls. But while we wait for that to be invented, there could be some potential issues with television deals that we'll have to deal with.
The summer is a boring time in Hockeyville. You know this. To try and keep our sanity, various folks from around the internet will stop by to share their thoughts on hockey, their favorite team and of course, whatever random crap we can come up with. Our next contestant is Dave McB from the Carolina Hurricanes blog Carolina on Ice. Our conversation starts in 3... 2... 1...
How do you feel about the Hurricanes' chances next season?
Right now, I'd say the feeling is "meh". If the re-vamped D can play in front of Cam Ward / Michael Leighton then they should be alright. They've been a real streaky team the past 3 seasons, and if they can actually keep a winning streak going - look for them to finally burst the playoff bubble again.
Imagine that you're GM Jim Rutherford. You also have the power to reverse/fast forward time. You just acquired Joni Pitkanen for Erik Cole. Do you use your powers to undo the trade completely, renegotiate or keep it the way it is? Why?
The first thing I'd do is go back to 1977 - party my ass off and make sweet love to a 21 year old Bo Derek. THEN, I'd come back to 2008 with a big smile on my face. Right, right... About the trade. It's obviously a little too early to make judgments on this trade. It would have been nice to just send a couple of draft picks to Kevin Lowe in Edmonton instead of a stud power forward who's a in-the-system player. Ask me this question in March 2009.
2008-09 marks the third season since the Canes won the Cup. In exactly six words describe why you are a Canes fan.
2002. Ron Francis. Rod Brind'amour. Tailgating.
If either Barack Obama or John McCain came out and declared that they were a die-hard Canes fan, would that affect how you vote in November?
Barack has already become butt-buddies with Roy Williams and has played pick-up with the UNC Basketball team. If he would have come out to "Skate With The Canes", it wouldn't affect my voting decisions, but it would make for a few good chuckles.
When politicians debate whether or not we need to "pull out" of Iraq, does that make you laugh too or am I immature?
You're immature, but apparently so am I because that's just plain funny.
You still have the power to reverse/fast forward time. Would you undo this interview?
Nope. But if you wanna go back to '75 - Bo had a couple of girlfriends that were asking about you...
Oh boy. Looks like I'll have to get working on that time traveling thing real soon! Thanks to Dave for joining us. If you would like to read more from him, head on over to Carolina on Ice.
So I'm a few days late on this one. Whoops. It's been a busy week, if you couldn't tell. But you've always got to wonder what's going through someone's mind when they say certain things. That leads me to announce to you that it's time for another look at the random spew that comes from Bryan Murray's mouth!
“I don’t know whether it was the pressure or never having a life away from the building, but he felt that Joe would enjoy going to an American team,” Murray told the Ottawa Sun. “He wanted to play where there was less scrutiny. He just couldn’t handle the pressure here.
“People like to talk hockey here and they live hockey. They don’t talk (hockey) in Raleigh very much. He’ll probably thrive in that environment and I like guys who thrive under pressure.”
(This isn't the first time the Senators have played that somewhat-odd card. Ottawa coach John Paddock has repeatedly mentioned that Martin Gerber flourished in Carolina because "they only have one beat writer.")
I know, people say dumb things. American or Canadian, it really doesn't matter. Every race/nationality/breed of humans has some people that like to run their mouth. Idiocy does not discriminate. But what's the use of all this? There's no big rivalry between these teams. It's just some parting shots while Corvo gets on a plane to Carolina. Useless, useless and oh yeah, useless. Corvo at least had the mind to not get into a war of words with Murray.
“It’s hard to understand if you haven’t played in Canada,” Corvo said. “The media here at times can be completely ridiculous, the way they can take some of the stories that are nothing and make something out of them.”
Yup, that happens in cities all across the continent. From Tuscaloosa, Alabama where the only game in town is Crimson tide football to Ottawa, Ontario where the only game in town is the Sens. The media is ridiculous in both towns. The media can be ridiculous anywhere (Just ask John Ferguson Jr. or Alex Rodriguez.). There are ridiculous fans everywhere. Even in Raleigh.
That's why sports are popular. Because of the fanatics, whether that means media, fans or both. And yes Bryan, they do talk hockey in Raleigh. I've been there. I've seen it.
I know that Ilya Kovalchuk is a great player and all but it's always hard to tell how much any one player can carry a team. After seeing the highlights from last night's Hurricanes/Thrashers game, it's clear that the Thrashers owe a lot to this kid (and yes, I know he leads the league in goals). It's really hard, and actually a little painful to imagine what this team would be like without him. Without him, you know, going into your defensive zone and scoring on your doodz.
Kovalchuk scored a goal and assisted on three of the Thrashers' five goals (see he can do more than score), giving the team a win in a game which they arguably had no business winning. Why do I say that? Now I'll be honest I didn't see the game, but when one team has two and a half times the shots that the other has, the team with the lower total usually has no business getting points out of the game. The Canes out shot the Thrashers 36-14 (yes, 14) but lost 5-4 in overtime. And to say Cam Ward's save percentage is going to take a hit would be an understatement. How does .643 sound? Ouch.
Anyway, check out this insane video of Kovalchuk going coast to coast to beat Ward.
Former Hurricanes net minder Martin Gerber cannot be stopped in his quest for Stanley Cup glory. Oh, he plays in Ottawa now? Oooh. Sorry, buddy.
A question posted to Storm Squad member Kerry on the Hurricanes' official website: "What nursery rhyme would you turn into a new rap song?I don't "do" rap."
The Hurricanes won't win the division this year. Why? Because they've won the southeast three times, with two years in between each victory. This would be the third season since their last title. I know, it's so logical.
When both the Oilers and Hurricanes failed to make the playoffs last season, it was the first time in NHL history that both Stanley Cup Finalists failed to qualify for the post season.
Odds for the folks at gambler's anonymous
12 to 1: Someone will make a NASCAR reference in the comments.
6 to 1: Someone will get mad that someone else made a NASCAR reference in the comments because sweeping generalizations don't heal; they hurt.
Obligatory serious analysis
The Hurricanes did last season what no team had done since the 1938-39 Chicago Blackhawks; miss the playoffs after winning the Stanley Cup in the previous season. Looking to turn things around this season, the Hurricanes will ice essentially the same squad that they did in 2006-07. The lone notable addition is center Matt Cullen, who was a part of Carolina's Stanley Cup victory two years ago. Last season, Cullen had 41 points in 80 games for the New York Rangers. Cullen should be a welcome addition to the East's 7th best offense.
The real key for the Hurricanes this season will be to have many of their younger players prove that their production two years ago was not a fluke. This season, Eric Staal produced 70 points, a full 30 point drop off from his numbers during the team's Cup run. Cam Ward's mind boggling 2.14 GAA and .920 save percentage from the '05-'06 playoffs were nowhere near his numbers last season, after the team decided to dump Martin Gerber and entrust the net to Ward. Ward is going to have to show the world that he won't be remembered for one spectacular playoff run.
Possibly the most serious issue facing the 'Canes this season is their defense. As a team they finished 20th in the NHL in goals allowed last season, and are playing in the high scoring Eastern Conference. The Canes are going to have to find some kids to man the point sometime, as Glen Wesley, Bret Hedican and Frantisek Kaberle are a combined 800 years old. Prediction:The Hurricanes have a lot to prove and aren't drastically improved from the team that they iced last season. Cullen is a nice addition, but not enough to put them over the top. I think that they will find themselves in the 9th spot at the end of the year.
The best looking ice girls in Carolina The Hurricanes have a Storm Squad, and this is the best I can do. Sorry.
As we all know, you can't really call yourself a sport until some one gets arrested (or in the case of baseball, everyone does drugs and looks the other way), and now we can safely say that hockey is a sport. We've known for a while that the NBA, NFL and MLB were true sports. Their millionaires have dog fights, beat the crap out of their own fans, and shoot themselves in the butt. Hockey players? Until now, everyone thought they were the sporting world's version of those really straight edge kids you knew in high school. Serious hockey fans did not have any doubt as to their sport's inclusion in this illustrious group. Starting today, the general public can feel the same way.
Thank you, Staal brothers. You did what we though no other Caucasian, Canadian, hockey loving males could do. Granted, disorderly conduct on the side of a highway isn't the effort we were hoping for, but it's a start. From here, you can work your way up to beating up people while you're drunk and some kick ass night club scuffles. Maybe someday, you can reach the higher levels of athlete trouble makers, like those who get in gun fights at night clubs or, dare I say, start your own underground dog fighting league. Although, maybe your idea of fun would be to simply have the dogs beat each other with hockey sticks. That really does sound entertaining, and who knows, it would probably get better ratings than the NHL.
If you need the full scoop on what happened, the News and Observer (Raleigh, NC) can fill you in. I thought the following paragraphs were especially amusing;
"After leaving the property, the group gathered on Highway 61 and began harassing passing motorists," the Sheriff's office said, at which point 14 members of the group were arrested at approximately 4 a.m.
"I have no doubt there were probably a couple kids lipping off or something like that," Curran [Eric Staal's agent] said. "Frankly, that goes with the territory. You get that many a group of kids together, somebody is going to say something stupid."
God damn. There were kids lipping off?! Shit. Get those assholes in jail right this minute. We can't have any of that around these parts now can we?
Like I said guys, this could be a stepping stone for the entire sport. After all, the value of a league is determined by how many arrests it's athletes can amass in a given year.
UPDATE: The FanHouse has their hands on the press release from the sheriff's department. The highlight? The cops threatened the gang with deportation. Sweet!
Did you know, this will be Martin Gerber's third finals appearance in the last four years?
Gerber will backup Ray Emery with Ottawa in this year's finals. Last year he lost the starting job in Carolina to Cam Ward, but eventually went on to win the Cup with the Hurricanes. Way back before the lockout, he backed up J.S. Giguere when the Ducks lost to the Devils in the 2003 finals.
The man is truly unstoppable. You can keep him from all the starting jobs you want, but on the bench he is a miracle worker. Maybe Toronto should look into signing him after the season is over. Who knows, he could be the key to solving the Cup drought that they have up there. Whatever his purpose, it's obvious that some day he'll be vice president of the world, and we might as well start embracing him as our superior right now.
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