It's new GM day in the NHL. Francois Giguere in Colorado as was mentioned in this very column yesterday, let's pause for a moment of personal reflection..................... Ray Shero in Pittsburgh. Shero took himself out of the running in Boston, mainly because he was told that the GM's duties were closely related to that of the team stick boy.
For those of you attending the tailgate in Edmonton this eveningthe weather forecast is calling for a little bit of sun, a little bit of rain, get down tonight. Jeff Marek will be at the game, he'll be holding a CBC microphone and wearing a Peter Mansbridge t-shirt. Have a look for him, make sure you say hi.
On the ice last night, the Buffalo Sabres looked good for two periods. They mailed in the third. Gerber goes in cold in the second, might want to test him out and seven shots wasn't the answer,but that's ok, because you won the game. Carolina can take a positive out of the final thirty, they played well, got to keep that momentum rolling into tomorrow. Do you start Martin Gerber in game four? Tough to say since he only faced seven shots
Is there a faster player in the NHL then Daniel Briere? he's got wheels, he's got game. Beauty shot on his second goal.
Just one penalty in the third period last night in a close game, is playoff officiating back? If Joanette and Schick get to do another game then the answer is no. If they fail to see the ice, then Bettman has made them feel his wrath.
I saved some money on my car insurance, not because I switched to Geico, but because I'm getting old and have no tickets. Starting in June,three extra dollars per month in the Gibster's pockets, what shall I spend it on? Let's go with a half pint of Budweiser for $3 Alex.
Last time Buffalo made it to the Stanley Cup, they had a guy named Dwayne Roloson on their team.
Happy Birthday to the Oilers Kyle Brodziak today. He turns 22, if a few more players get the flu, Brodziak could be playing tonight. Brodziak is from St. Paul, Alberta which is closer to Edmonton then it is to Calgary. This has been your Willard Scott moment.
On This Date
May 25th, 1935, Babe Ruth goes deep three times against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Forbes Field, home runs 712 off of Ray Lucas and 713 and 714 off of Guy Bush. HR 714 was measured at 600 feet. Ruth went 4-4 in the game, the next day he went 0-4 with 3K's.
May 25th, 1989 the Calgary Flames win the Stanley Cup in Montreal. The Flames beat the Canadiens 4-2 in the game and 4-2 in the series. Al MacInnis was named playoff MVP. Colin Patterson opened the scoring for the Flames late in the first period and it was the only goal in the opening twenty-minutes. Claude Lemieux tied the gameearly in the second, thenLanny McDonald scored his only playoff goal of 1989 and the final goal of his career to give Calgary a 2-1 lead going into the third period, Joe Nieuwendyk and Hakan Loob assisted on McDonald's goal and it was the last point of Loob's NHL career.Just past the midway point of thethird period, "Dougie" scored on the power play with Russ Courtnall in the box. 51 seconds after Gilmour's goal, Rick Green scored for Montreal and like Lanny it was his only playoff goal in 1989 and the last playoff tally of Green's career. Gilmour would score into an empty net with three seconds left. Lanny McDonald scored his first NHL goal at the Forum and his last.
Trivia
What player had three fights in the gold medal game at the 1924 Olympics? hint, see little known fact, answer below.
Little Known Fact
There is a myth that the win byCalgary was the first time that an opposing team has been awarded the Cup on Forum ice. That's not true, on April 14, 1928 The New York Rangers won the Cup at the Forum against the Montreal Maroons. Interesting notes about the series in 1928, Clarence "Taffy" Abel became the first American born player to have his name put on the Stanley Cup, he was the only American playing in the NHL in 1927-28. Rangers Manger Lester Patrick had to play net part way through game two of the series due to an injury by netminder Lorne Chabot. The 45 year old Patrick had never played net before, but he did OK, the blue shirts won in OT 2-1.
Offside
I lost one of my jobs yesterday, Josh Towers was sent to Syracuse, now I can't bet against him every four days :-) Nice come back by the Jays last night, but who was making the pitch selections for Jason Frasor? Toronto up 7-5, one out, runners on first and third, first pitch Frasor throws is a hanging curve ball, Wells catches it against the wall 400 feet away. Now it's 7-6 with two out. Frasor's next pitch, hanging curve ball, it ends up in the bullpen, now it's 8-7 Tampa Bay. That's your TSN Turning Point, two ugly curve balls. Why they went to the well again after the first brutal curve ball is beyond me. Third batter up, Frasor throws some heat and gets him out. Just a wee bit too late.
Trivia Answer
Clarence Abel, he felt shame, sat in the box by himself.
Kevin Gibson
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