The Republic of Sport

goCanada!

goCanada!'s Comments

Posted Wednesday November 18, 2009, About: Shanahan up for league job?

Hank - I HAVE to ask: what is it exactly about the country you live in that makes you hate it so much? All you ever do is trash Team Canada, Vancouver, the upcoming Olympics, and even Canada in general once in a while? Are you an American being forced to live here against your will or something?

Posted Wednesday November 18, 2009, About: Shanahan up for league job?

Argos - the numbers are solid, but this isn't Sweden's Hall of Fame, nor is it the Leafs Hall of Fame.

I love how Leafs fans gloss over the wingers he had - calling them "finished" by the time they got to Toronto, yet at the time they got picked up, Mogilny and Roberts were considered high-end wingers and big time players. Cripes, I remember hearing Leafs fans call for Sundin to be traded so Roberts could be captain. Now he's considered to have been garbage during his time there. Oh how memories change with convenience.

He also never won anything in the NHL. No individual awards, no Championships, and, well, he tended to miss alot of his team's playoff games (when games are played for free - coincidence?), so he doesn't have phenomenal playoff totals by any means. And its not like the Leafs didn't make a run with him in the lineup - they made it to the Conference Finals multiple times with him in the lineup, last I checked, but that fell off after leadership reins were put in his hands. Sure he was basically a point a game player, but so was Bernie Nicholls, does that make HIM a Hall of Famer? No. Mind you, I bet it would had he been a Leaf, right?

All Star games mean nothing, its All Star Teams that matter, and he was never a First OR Second Team All Star.

That Mark Messier award he received? You mean that year he refused to waive his no-trade clause and all Leaf fans were up in arms and calling him garbage? It was a bull-shyte awarding that should and could have gone to many other more deserving people but was given to Sundin because he was a Leaf. As a leader, noone ever put him in a class with Yzerman or Messier, but let's get serious, he wasn't even a Rod Brind'amour or a Scott Neidermayer, yet still got the nod. Garbage.

Guys who's numbers DROP in the playoffs don't tend to get looked on favourably as leaders OR Hall of Famers, and you pulled that stat, not me.

I could keep trashing him all day, but I just don't have the time. I'm not saying he'll never get in, I'm just saying he should only be considered a fringe HOFer - certainly NOT a first ballot. If anything, it should be posthumously, like Dicky Duff...

Posted Wednesday November 18, 2009, About: Shanahan up for league job?

Yeah, and Kaberle will be a first ballot but Lidstrom will have to wait, haha

Posted Wednesday November 18, 2009, About: Filppula closer to Wings return

It really seems like the Wings are hitting their stride now - it'll be great to have this kid back in the lineup.

Posted Wednesday November 18, 2009, About: Thin list of buyers for Coyotes

There were that many people lining up to buy the Coyotes when it was up for auction too, apparently, yet they never materialized then either. Is there no law stating that you aren't allowed to lie about this kind of thing?

Posted Wednesday November 18, 2009, About: Shanahan up for league job?

You've got that right, Comedian/bgm. How could anyone - even the Homer that is Argos - think that Sundin would go in ahead of Hasek?

Posted Wednesday November 18, 2009, About: Shanahan up for league job?

I was actually upset yesterday when I saw he had retired. I still thought he could fit on at least a couple squads (I woulda pushed Cheechoo to Binghampton and put this guy on a line with Spezza, for instance). Apparently not. I'm always saddened when great players retire due to forces out of their control, and it seems obvious that he is retiring because no teams are interested in signing him, and that's too bad.

But does the league really think he'll be on their side in the next round of negotiations? Sure, he took it upon himself to get that Competition Committee going and everything, but that was for the good of hockey, not to help the NHL. Its seems (at least to me) that he would be too recently removed from the union to truly expect him to battle against them, no?

Make him the new Ombudsman, NHLPA!

Posted Tuesday November 17, 2009, About: NHL: Coyotes need new lease

Here's what I don't get:

It seems clear to everyone that the Coyotes can't get by in Phoenix without this lease being re-negotiated (we won't get into the lack of fans for now). This would result, soon enough, in the team moving to another city (we won't get into where for now either).

So, if Glendale re-negotiates, they can keep collecting SOME of the money they have been getting, but if they don't, the team moves and they don't get to collect ANY rent anymore.

Isn't SOME better than NONE?

Posted Tuesday November 17, 2009, About: Bettman: No worries with Lightning ownership

Haha, " the 60 day windows are moot" that's the best. There's only one thing that would make it moot, since those 2 guys don't speak to each other anymore. That one thing would be the fact that neither has the money, just like Foos said.

There HAS to be a time coming up where Bettman has to be honest about teams' financial standing, right?

Posted Monday November 16, 2009, About: Panthers changing ownership

I'm gonna get the "scoop" on T&R: Peter Forsberg officially informed his agent, and Mike Gillis that he will not be trying an NHL comeback this season and will be staying in Sweden this season. So, after tomorrow, we shouldn't have to get thrice weekly updates on when he's coming back!

Posted Monday November 16, 2009, About: Snarl missing from Avery's game

Definintely, Hank. Without a doubt THE funniest stand up performance ever caught on film. Laughs from start to finish. I had many a few tear running down my face the first couple viewings myself, haha. It certainly made me think twice about playing with G.I. Joes in the bathtub, hahaha

Posted Monday November 16, 2009, About: Snarl missing from Avery's game

Hahaha, Hank, that's awesome, except for your low goal setting at the 'pics. Gold or nothing baby!

I was trying to think of a solid quote to respond, but can't come up with any that don't have the slurs, haha

Posted Monday November 16, 2009, About: Panthers changing ownership

The economy can only be blamed for so much, BTH. You think Florida is the only state that's hurting? Think of the Wings in Detroit - Michigan has been dealing with this economy longer than anyone else. The fact is, Florida has 2 NHL teams, and neither one is financially viable. No team is successful forever - they always have down times - so to say its because the team's aren't good enough is a weak excuse to me, especially since the Bolts have a relatively recent Stanley Cup under their belt. If you can't get your fanbase out within 3 years of having won a Cup (I know its been more, but the attendance and the number of "die hard" fans dropped off after 2 years), then you are not in a strong market, no matter how you look at it. Its not a real fanbase if its ONLY about winning (there wouldn't be ANY Leaf fans left, for instance, haha, couldn't resist), its a fad.

Posted Monday November 16, 2009, About: Why Leafs still won't name captain

Well, first and foremost, noone on the team deserves it. I am by no means a Leafs fan, but the captaincy of that squad - as well as Montreal (more so, probably) - should be reserved for players who actually fit the bill. For a storied franchise to just put a "C" on any guys' chest to get through a season would be a black eye on that organization, in my opinion. This is the right way to do things. Honestly, Leaf fans, would you really like to look down your list of captains and see Matt Stajan listed after Clark, Gilmour then Sundin? I would be ashamed of my team if that happened, and its no offence intended to Stajan.

I think Komisarek will likely be wearing it next year, if he can figure out a way to stay out of the penalty box other than not playing. He's got the toughness, he's signed long term, is fairly well spoken and is used to being in a media fishbowl from his time in Montreal.

Posted Monday November 16, 2009, About: Ducks GM denies shopping Niedermayer

I think there would be teams lining up to get Neidermayer on their squad - even AT $6.75. He looked awesome last year, and may be having an off year, but, like I said about the Wings last week - I wouldn't be surprised if he took the whole summer off to get his body fresh and keep it fresher as the season and Olympics come up.

I don't much care for his Favre-ian yearly anguish on if he wants to retire, but you can't deny his ablility. If you could get him to agree to a sign and trade for a 2-3 year term, and you are a serious competitor for the Cup, why wouldn't you? A team like San Jose could use him next year after failing to win again this year and Rob Blake's retirement. The Devs could defintely use him. I'd pay Neidermayer that money ahead of what Gonchar may draw if I'm the Pens. Geez, if the Wings could convince the Ducks to take Rafalski as part of the package they would be frightening, haha. You get the drift.

Posted Monday November 16, 2009, About: Owner: NHL interested in Wild Winter Classic

Minny should't get it until they have a team worthy of being in the National Spotlight that this event actually provides the NHL with. You can't put a team as awful as the Wild are now on National television when you are trying to sell the game. But in few years, if they start looking better/more entertaining, they should definitely get the opportunity. Its not like they don't have the fanbase, and, being as close to Canada as they are, they'll have that resource to fill seats too.

Besides, he can always play the "Bettman owes me" card for that whole fiasco in Nashville when he was convinced to seel the Preds for less than Balsillie was offering...

I also agree that these should be held in football stadiums not baseball fields.

Someone said it should be played in the New Yankee Stadium. I disagree, based on spite, more than anything. The league tried to hold it in the old Yankee Stadium last year until it was decided that an NHL game wasn't good enough to be the last event held in that park. Now they've built a billion dollar barn, and its well known that they are doing everything they can in terms of event bookings, to try to re-coup some of that money - they've even gone so far as to have invented a new College Football Bowl Game (called the Yankee Bowl) to be played there year after year between two middling teams. Why do them a favour and give them this kind of event? If hockey wasn't good enough for the old Yankee Stadium when they DIDN'T need money, what makes it good enough now? Let 'em choke on their expenses and spend some time lobbying first.

Posted Monday November 16, 2009, About: Snarl missing from Avery's game

Ruutu is WAY dirtier, I agree fully with that, but he's loved by his teammates unlike Avery, so its less of a story.

I think Avery is mostly uncontrollable though. It seems like there is no grey area to him. If you let him do his thing, he'll go too far. There is no governor on him. Give him a rope he wants to be a cowboy, to use an old term (from Eddie Murphy Delirious, without the N bombs of course, haha classic). Anyway, maybe Torts has figured it out and won't give him the rope...

Posted Monday November 16, 2009, About: Panthers changing ownership

Job #5: Make anyone in the world care about your team

Posted Monday November 16, 2009, About: Coach's decision benches Porter

Worst name for a sports venue actually comes from hockey though - Nashville played in the "Gaylord Entertainment Centre" for 2-3 years before having the brains to change the name, haha

Posted Friday November 13, 2009, About: NHL reinstates troubled Ducks owner

Stanger's point, that is

Posted Friday November 13, 2009, About: NHL reinstates troubled Ducks owner

Indeed.

The Kings owners are one of Gary's biggest supporters. And I guess I just sorta blocked out the Habs and Oilers ownerships. Vancouver is on their 3rd owners under Bettman's stewardship though, if I remember right, so while the current ownership may be quality (ask Hank, haha), Bettman had 3 tries at getting right. Mario was a unique situation, and if anyone OWNS Bettman (as opposed to the other way around) its Lemieux - just look at all the breaks his team gets! St. Louis looks better with every season, so they have got to be some good people, but losing the Waltons (Wal-Mart family) as owners was a big loss in my opinion. The Avs owners are as good as any out there, nothing to say bad against them, even as a Wings fan, haha. When did Jersey switch owners?

Either way, your initial point was one of those "Things That Make You Go Hmm."