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Starting off New Years with random thoughts |
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Warning: Most of this blog is more-or-less a rant.
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3-1-0 without Alfie and Spezza in the line-up. Not too shabby at all
Clouston asked his players to step-up in their absence, and apparently Ryan Shannon interpreted the message as "Ryan be a top-six winger again."
No question Shannon has been the best Senator in the last four games, and that's not the easiest thing to do, because Fisher has been amazing every game this year. (He's had some less than perfect games but he has had amazing moments in those games.)
The Sens go back into action Sunday night against the Flyers. Hopefully the hard work continues and the Sens can keep up their new found winning ways.
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Are any other Canadians losing interest in the "Winter Classic"?
I love the concept, I loved the Heritage Classic, I loved Pittsburgh vs. Buffalo, I loved Detroit vs. Chicago, but I just couldn't get excited for Boston vs. Philadelphia.
I like both teams, they usually are entertaining teams to watch and are both jammed full of talent, but I just can't/couldn't get interested in this game.
I really would like to know if other Canadian hockey fans are feeling this way to, because the only reason I can find for my lack of interest this year, is knowing none of the Canadian teams will get the same opportunity to play outside on New Year’s Eve.
At best Canadian teams will get to play either a 2nd game (basically a matinee) on New Years or we may get a game in February outside.
Why not do a Minnesota vs. a Canadian club in Minnesota?
I don't think they would HAVE to play the game in Canada but at the very least throw in a Canadian club in the Winter Classic every 3rd or 4th year.
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Sticking with my issues with the Winter Classic and the ideas being tossed around, we (the collective hockey world) need to shutdown any notion of having the all-star game outside.
The all-star game is already boring and normally lacklustre (outside of the shoot-out challenge), so why should the NHL ruin such an amazing concept by playing a meaningless game outside.
They need to leave it as a one-game per season concept, and they need to leave as a New Years day event. The only change that needs be made is to schedule Canadian teams in the mix.
It should be a no brainer that the next outdoor game needs to be and should in either Minnesota, or Canada.
The NHL has been very fortunate with the weather for these so far, but the Winter Classic needs to stay north until they've exhausted all locations for the northern teams.
Nothing against L.A., San Jose, Anaheim, Florida, Tampa, Phoenix and Dallas, but they aren't the most 'wintery' venues to have the "Winter Classic", mind you an outdoor game in L.A. would be quite the sight.
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Was there a memo sent to officials, telling them to not explain themselves or their calls to Coaches?
A clear goal by the Canadian Jrs. last night gets called back on the bases of 'Goaltender interference' and because the whistle apparently went, but then ref takes around 8 minutes before deciding he will 'grant' the Canadian staff with his presence?
Something’s clearly wrong there.
If it was goaltending interference, by IIHF rules, Canada should have gotten a penalty, however the ref decided it wasn't enough interference to warrant a penalty, just a disallowed goal?
So then why did the ref blow the play dead? He clearly was on his way to blowing the whistle as the puck was heading to the net, just didn't actually blow it till a split second after the puck was in.
So what was the ref calling? It apparently wasn't a penalty, so what was it?
Maybe Don Cherry's borderline prejudiced comments about European aren’t as wrong as I thought he was.
The only plus to the goal being disallowed, was Canada was able to beat the Americans, again, without any controversy over the win.
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Maybe we can get a sample audience here.
How many of you like Pierre McGuire as a commentator?
Maybe it's just in Ottawa that the majority feels he stinks at his job.
But based on that I really had to question why CBC would bring-on McGuire for their Olympic coverage. So he can talk about his man-crush on Doughty?
Couldn't CBC have just brought in the TSN staff (minus McGuire) and Ian Mendes from Sportsnet and Steve Ludzik from The Score to round out the staff?
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Speaking of the Olympics, why does anyone care that Russia may or may not change their announced line-up?
How has the NHL, NHLPA and the North American hockey world not grown accustomed to Russia/KHL pulling stupid stunts like this yet?
They live to be a pain in the ass. The other European leagues know this, why doesn't the NHL.
And writing a letter to the IIHF about it? Really? How has the NHL/NHLPA not realized the IIHF is, in fact, the most useless part of the collective hockey world?
The IIHF have yet to actually take a stance on the rules they've set, they struggle to successfully organize national events, and in fact the IIHF is run by the Swiss version of Gary Bettman.
How is it that the spineless and inept seem to acquire leadership roles in the hockey world?
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Mark Christopher
M_Christopher
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