The SBP Archives - Your less than frequent dose of SBP!

We enjoyed the ride.

You sure do have to be careful what you wish for. I for one was a bit let down that the drama of the Canada-Russia contest was taken away so early in the game, with the Canadians dominating from the get go and spanking the Russians 7-3. And so when Canada was leading 3-0 in the semis against Slovakia with less than 10 minutes to go, it seemed it was just another game where Canada was showing the world why they are the favourites and wasn't giving the competition much of a chance. The crowd was even getting all cocky by chanting "We want USA!", thinking it was already over.

Cue a bad goal let in by Robert Luongo and the outcome wasn't so certain. All of a sudden there was little offense created by Canada. All of a sudden Canada collapsed into a defensive style with the goal of riding out the clock to protect the lead. A Canadian gaffe where two Team Canada players (I believe were Patrice Bergeron and Shea Weber) collided into each other led to a second goal, and a collective gasp came about the crowd. What's happening right now!? A flurry of offense to the dying minute, where Pavol Demitra had a down & out Luongo at his feet and a top shelf placement for the puck was all he needed to do to put this game into overtime, and also the dreams of many Canadians into serious doubt.

But Luongo managed to get his glove out and tip the puck over the net, and it was over. That drama that we were longing for, and perhaps unfortunately got depending on your blood pressure, had Canada come out on top 3-2 and earn the right to play for the gold medal tomorrow against the United States.

I'm not sure I'll be able to take it.

The reward for fans who see their team through ups and downs, through triumphs and defeats, is indeed satisfying once you get to the ultimate prize. But it is never guaranteed it will be achieved and it's rarely easy to obtain. I'm no longer interested in intense drama. I don't want a close contest. I want Canada to annihilate the Unites States and show them who's boss from the opening face off. I want them to show USA that their first game against each other was a mistake. Last night showed what you think is in your hands can so easily slip away, no matter how hard the effort or how many are behind you. Let's do it tomorrow Canada, let's win the gold medal and cap off an extremely memorable Olympics, and for my sake and others, let's not make it too interesting, okay?

- 7-3?! I don't think anyone saw that coming. Once Russia scored to make it 3-1, I thought for sure they would keep pressing and make a game of it, but it never happened and Canada handed out a simple ass-kicking tonight. In some ways, I'm sort of disappointed with the result. No, not with the fact Canada won, but the fact it wasn't as close and exciting game that we were all expecting. But I guess you should be careful what you wish for, and just be grateful for the result.

- I have no idea why the Russians let their goaltender, Evgeni Nabokov, stay in net until Canada scored goal number six. I would have yanked him after number three; he didn't have it tonight and Ilya Bryzgalov is a more than capable netminder. But what do I know?

- Roberto Luongo was solid tonight but didn't need to be spectacular the way Canada played in front of him. Canada should still run with him, of course, but I don't think he was really tested all that much.

- I was wondering why coach Mike Babcock was messing around with the lines so much during and after each game, but tonight we saw why. It wasn't so much to break up combos that were working, but to get the lines that WEREN'T clicking and getting contributions from them. Moving Eric Staal to play with Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry paid off big dividends was probably the most evident. Even Brendan Morrow managed to chip in a goal as a fourth line player. Not missed was Patrice Bergeron who spent most of the game riding the pine. Still the worst pick ever.

- Sweden is the likely opponent for Canada Friday (although the Slovaks are more than capable of pulling off an upset) and they will be a much tougher opponent for Canada, as they have much more depth on defense and Lundqvist is capable of stealing games. But, Canada looks unstoppable, and if they can keep up this play, they're getting gold.

Canada beats Germany 8-2. Yawn. I guessed a 5-0 outcome, bottom line being it would be a near-blowout game (we got full blowout instead) against an inferior opponent who's happy just to be part of the Olympic experience and I'm sure was expecting a thrashing against one of the world's best.

But what was a bit startling to me, during the water cooler talk today before the game, was the number of people who think not only will Canada not win a medal, but they would lose tonight against the Germans.

And that's based exactly on what? All that KHL talent that runs through the German lineup? The fact they have so much depth they're able to exclude Christoph Schubert from the team?

No, just that some Team Canada "fans" seem to be nothing but a bunch of Debbie Downers that, once they see one shade of adversity, they think it's time to quit on the team, predict doom and gloom to the point that they think a 10th place team will upset them in an elimination game.

Listen, if Canada wins gold, it won't be easy. And I don't want it to be easy, because I don't want excuses. The path looks like it will be Russia, then Sweden, then the United States barring any upsets. Those are all the hockey powerhouses. If they pull it off, Canada can truly state they are the world's best without controversy, and it will be a blast to be part of the ride.

It's just disappointing to me that there are some who'd rather imagine the worst for this talented group of Canadians.

- Canada vs USA: This is the game that I was excited to tune into. Originally scheduled to be playing in my ball hockey league from 8-9pm, the other team couldn't field enough players (hmmmm....). We were ready to play tonight since my team already has already missed our game that was scheduled during Superbowl Sunday.

- I know there are many people who are going to question Canada's chances of winning gold. I know there will be many people who will praise the play of the Americans and state Canada deserved to lose. But I can't see how the Americans can say they outplayed Canada tonight. If they play like that again if they meet up with Canada later on, and I believe that's about as good a game you'll see from them based on their talent level, Canada should come out on top.

- Undisciplined penalties once again proved costly against Canada: Three straight penalties in the third period put the game away for the Americans. I have no idea what it will take to get that message through, but hopefully the lesson has been learned now that they'll be done if they lose one more game.

- Any thoughts of using Scott Niedermayer as a rental player at the NHL trade line as been rumoured should be kiboshed based on the first three games of play in this tournament. He's simply not the same player he used to be at 36 years old. Chris Pronger is another guy showing his age; there were some questioning these choices for Team Canada and I can now see why. It is quite surprising how the veterans have been liabilites thus far and aren't contributing to the offence.

- I really wish CBC was still handling the Olympics. Having to listen to the TSN/Sportsnet conglomerate is just too much for me to bear.

- No question about it, Luongo has to be the man to carry the load the rest of the way in. I'm not laying the loss at the feet of Brodeur, but while he made some spectacular saves, I would say he let in maybe two he should have stopped.

- Despite the loss, I can't complain about the entertainment value of this game. Can you imagine a rematch against these two teams? That would be off-the-charts good. Let's pray it happens, if for no other reason that would mean Canada is either battling for gold or the right to play for it.

- As soon as Sid the Kid stepped on the ice the 2nd time in the shootout, I had no doubts he was going to put the puck in the net. I'm sure he looked over at coach Mike Babcock and said, "I know what to do" and the rest is history.

- No doubt there will be many already pushing the panic button, worrying how Canada can handle powerhouses Russia and Sweden if they need a shootout to beat a lowly Switzerland team. I am not one of them. Any team can ride a hot goalie, and indeed the Swiss got a huge performance out of Jonas Hiller from the Anaheim Mighty Ducks to force a shootout. They kept pressing and pressing but just hit a brick wall with Hiller, and really it could have happened to any team.

- Any more reason to hate Chris Pronger? Seeing him go after another Swiss player, which led to a delayed penalty, which led to confusion in front of Brodeur, which led to a Swiss goal probably had Babcock fuming. A completely selfish play by Pronger; I'm just glad it happened in a somewhat meaningless preliminary game.

- Ryan Getzlaf and Scott Niedermayer seemed to be turning over the puck more times than they are accustomed to, but one player that stood out to me, sort of in the background, was Dan Boyle. He played solid defense, made great outlet passes and was a presence in the offensive zone. He didn't get any points, sure, but they will come if he keeps it up.

- Not sure if I agree with Babcock's decisions on ice time, benching Iginla for most of the third is one thing that stands out in my mind. Didn't he get a hat trick for you the previous game? Put out guys that can put the puck in the net.

- Looking forward to the Canada - USA contest, although I'm missing most of it to play in my ball hockey league. That will be Canada's big test before the elimination games come.

- Sure, we're all delighted Canada handed out a spanking to start the Olympic tournament with an 8-0 victory over Norway, but I have to say the build up for this game wasn't that great. I mean, when Canada won gold in 2002 they opened up the games by playing against another powerhouse in Sweden. THAT'S how you start a tournament: with a COMPETITIVE game. Next contest is against Switzerland, and until they play the USA on Sunday, it'll be another ho-hum game they should win without too many problems.

- Overthinking is never a good thing. How they can start the game with Jarome Iginla on the fourth line while worst roster pick Patrice Bergeron gets the top line with Crosby and Nash is beyond me. Every media idiot eating up whatever Steve Yzerman gives them goes on about the chemistry these guys had back in 2005 in the World Juniors tournament. I'm sorry, but five years, two concussions and one playoff goal later, Bergeron is not the same. Luckily there's some flexibility in their approach and they corrected that erroneous error and had Iginla play on the top line by the second period, recording a hat trick once everything was said and done.

- Seeing Heatley score two goals tonight...still hard for me to cheer that guy, even with the red maple leaf on his sweater. I've restricted myself to polite applause if he scores a few more.

- Don't you love how all the players think it's a "special treat" to be playing for Canada in Canada, yet they never actually want to sign a NHL contract with a Canadian team and deal with the pressures of playing in a real hockey market? It's a shame, really.

- I sound a bit grumpy, don't I? I don't mean to. Once we get to the REAL games, I'm sure that will change. GO CANADA GO!

Now that the opening ceremony for the 2010 Winter Olympic Games have passed, many have discussed if the final torchbearer, Wayne Gretzky, was the proper choice out of 33 million Canadians to light the flame in Vancouver.

My first thought right out of the gate was, "What's the debate?"

The first name that came to mind when the guessing started as to who would get that honour, was Wayne Gretzky. Some might say that he really didn't do that much in the Olympics, in the sense that when he was a participant in 1998, Canada placed fourth, and while he was the GM in 2002 that led Canada to gold, he was on the sidelines in a suit. And of course, he's a former pro athlete, paid millions of dollars to do something that most of the participants would only dream of getting, many living off of the government subsidies of their respective countries or limited private sponsorships if they were turned away. Not exactly a true representation of amateur sport.

But seeing as Canada was on the world's center stage (a reported 2 billion people tuned in to watch the opening ceremonies), I felt we needed to pull out all the stops: Let's show the world the best Canada has to offer. Probably the first thought that comes to mind for citizens outside Canada, when they discuss our country, is ice hockey. And Gretzky is the most well known, best athlete this country has ever produced in that sport (or any sport for that matter). So much so that when he retired, even European newspapers picked up the story and wrote long articles about it. Ali is to boxing like Gretzky is to hockey. He is a household name worldwide.

While I'm sure there are lots of deserving people out there, the last thing I wanted to see was someone trot out in the stadium with the torch and a big, collective "Who?" would be expressed by the world when the flame was lit. "This is the best Canada has, an unknown?" might have been the thought.

No, there is no time for that for something as big as the Olympics. I'm glad Gretzky was our man, and I have a feeling most of Canada does, to.

I was already asleep before I heard my name over the radio, but hey, nice, autographed hockey stick! I think Jonathan Cheechoo is one of the players that signed it though....

Hi There!

Congratulations! You were chosen as the Emailer of the Game for the TEAM 1200 Post Game Show.

You have won an autographed Ballistic Hockey Stick!

Your stick is ready to be picked up at 87 George St, we are open Monday – Friday 8a-6p. (We are not open Family Day)

Please bring a piece of Government Issued Photo ID.

Thank You!
Alyssa

Here's the email I sent. Nothing fancy, but it worked!:

I like Ottawa's chances heading into the playoffs and I think they have the ability to upset the favourites in the East like Washington and Pittsburgh. Having said that, it's more than likely Bryan Murray will make a trade or two before the playoffs to help the team out. What move or moves do you think Ottawa should make? Should they add a forward, a defenceman, or should they stand pat and go with the team they have?

- Ben

Gord Wilson and Mike Eastwood (I think those were the two on the radio) basically said the Sens are buyers and could upgrade at both positions, leaning more towards a defenceman. I agreed with that, but then we ended up with forward Matt Cullen today. But I do think another move is in the works.

It might be easy to say this after a 3-2 win last night against the Calgary Flames, but to me there was no choice to make who to start in net after that 5-0 loss to the Leafs Saturday night.

Brian Elliott is making a strong case in becoming the #1 goaltender for the Ottawa Senators.

He'd like to forget Saturday night's game just like the whole team would, but prior to that, he was the hottest goalie in the league. Nine straight wins. Two weeks in a row where he was named 1st and 2nd star in the NHL.

He has earned the right to a mulligan and be given a shot at being the go-to-guy in Ottawa.

Now he may or may not work out. It seems much longer, but Elliott has only being playing for the Senators for a year. He might turn out to be a true #1 goaltender. Maybe not. He struggled when Leclaire was on the shelf for earlier in the season, and has only come around in the last month or so.

But I think it's worth to find out if it's his time. And at the very least, the team owes him for his tremendous play that allowed them to enjoy nine of their eleven straight victories, setting a franchise record.

Pascal Leclaire no doubt will get another chance to try to find his game, for no other reason than he's pulling about $4 million a year in salary this year and next. But for now, I'm hoping Elliott can keep up his great play, and that it continues to the post-season. He's earned it.

There were a lot of things going on this weekend that would have been very easy to blog about.

I could have talked about the dog's breakfast that was the Leafs' spanking of the Ottawa Senators 5-0 this past Saturday night.

Or how the UFC put on a card that featured a main event pitting two former heavyweight champions whose combined age was 91 years old: Randy Couture against Mark Coleman.

And of course, how about last night's Superbowl victory by the New Orleans Saints over the Indianapolis Colts? Apparently it's now the most watched TV program in American TV history, viewed by over 106 million people surpassing the record set by the final episode of M*A*S*H back in 1983.

But I'm feeling pretty lazy about it right now.

I remember coming up with something to write about every day...how did I keep that pace up for 2-3 years?

Anyway, I'm sure once a couple of days pass I'll get back with the program.

Are you tired of reading about a junior hockey player sending an opposing player to the hospital for an indeterminate period of time?

I know I am.

What will it take to get through to these guys?

This week, the latest person to be suspended indefinitely, pending an investigation, involves Marco Scandella from the QMJHL, a player who was also chosen to represent Canada at the recent World Juniors tournament.

Canada's best is also Canada's ugliest. Patrice Cormier will forever be linked to one of the ugliest elbows hockey has ever seen, when he took out a player named Mikael Tam without provocation and was sent to the hospital unconscious. Cormier's season is over, suspended for the rest of the season, playoffs included. I bring Cormier up because he was named the captain for Team Canada at that same World Juniors tourament, and it's quite embarrassing to be called Canadian when these images are shown. Is Canada so violent and thoughtless? I wonder what the rest of the world thinks.

This is about the sixth or so incident this year involving an intent to injure play in the junior ranks. These players may or may not make it to the NHL, but the scary part is it seems these kids think this is the sort of thing they are required to do to get noticed, to get the scouts looking in their direction, and ultimately to get drafted.

As long as the NHL continues to employ players like the Steve Downies of the world, these incidents aren't going to stop. In fact, I think they're going to continue.

A guy like Cormier may not like the fact he can't play his final year in junior anymore, but he already got drafted by the New Jersey Devils this past summer. He's pro career isn't threatened; he'll report to training camp later this year and try to make the team. If he doesn't, he'll likely be sent to their minor league affiliate and get called up when they think he's ready. The point being, his potential NHL career isn't threatened in any way.

If the hockey world is serious about cracking down on these dangerous hits that will one day kill somebody, maybe a route to take is to have a suspension jeopardize a chance to play in the pros. Maybe, for example, the Devils will tell Cormier he is not allowed to try out for their team until 2011. He has that time to think about the consequences of being a dirty player, and maybe he'll play a little more responsibly when he laces up the skates again.

Haven't been drafted yet? Maybe someone who gets suspended should have a year or two added to the year they're eligible for the NHL draft. Is leveling a player without the puck with my elbow worth the risk of staying at home an extra year or two while everyone else is competing to play in the NHL? Maybe it isn't.

Perhaps it will work, maybe not. But right now, despite these suspensions handed out, no one seems to be getting the message.

Something has to change.

I'll be honest, the motivation to write a blog entry right now is low. So press play to give you a general summary of what I thought of Sherlock Holmes after seeing it tonight. I should point out the Academy Awards announced all their nominees just yesterday and, yup, I still wasted my time with this.