NHL: Canadian stars finding a home down south

Here's a piece of mine originally written for http://sportshaze.com/canada. I've recently joined their staff as hockey beat writer, and the site's got some great material you should check out. Hope you enjoy.

While Canadian hockey fans may bemoan the fact that there are still NHL teams in the Sun Belt, it seems that Canadian players sure don’t mind.

The Tampa Bay Lightning and Carolina Hurricanes are set to square off in back-to-back games this weekend, and from the look of the rosters, it may as well be a Team Canada intra-squad game. Both teams are full of Canadian players, and not just of the grind-it-out, third-line variety. These crazy Canucks are some of the most important players on their respective teams, whether it’s scoring goals or stopping pucks.

When people think of the Tampa Bay Lightning, there are usually two names that immediately come to mind: Stamkos and St. Louis. The two offensively gifted linemates lead the Tampa attack and are usually joined by fellow Canadian Simon Gagné on the Lightning’s No. 1 line.

The next big offensive threat for the Bolts comes in the form of second line center and captain Vincent Lecavalier. Lecavalier was once thought of as the next possible superstar in the NHL as the first overall pick in the 1998 entry draft, and hails from Ile Bizard, a small suburb in the Montreal area. Lecavalier hasn’t quite turned into the superstar many thought he could be, but he has grown into a solid two-way player with big-time offensive skills.

The rest of the Lightning offence also benefits from Canadians like Teddy Purcell, Steve Downie, Dominic Moore and Dana Tyrell; all together, Canada accounts for eight of 12 Lightning forwards. The defence corps, although less star studded, is led by Canadians Brett Clark, Eric Brewer, Randy Jones and power-play triggerman Marc André Bergeron.

Flipping to the Carolina side of things, the Canadian depth may not be as strong, but the talent is definitely there.

Captain and Canes’ lifer Eric Staal is a former Olympian and Stanley Cup champion that comes from the Staal Hockey Factory (Brothers Jordan and Marc also play in the NHL, with Jared on his way) in Thunder Bay, Ont.

He’s joined by rookie superstar and next face-of-the-franchise Jeff Skinner, another Canadian. On the other end of the age spectrum, Cory Stillman still plays a key role for the Hurricanes, and hails from Peterborough, Ont.

Perhaps even more important than the offensive talent are the men between the pipes. Both Dwayne Roloson and Cam Ward are proud Canadians, and are both key aspects of their respective teams. Ward won the Conn Smythe trophy in the Canes’ Stanley Cup win in 2006, and Roloson has solidified the Lightning’s shaky goaltending situation this year.

What stands out with these two teams is not just the quantity of Canadian players on each roster, but rather the quality.

The captains, leading scorers and goalies from each team hail from the Great White North, and they are the most recognizable names in the American cities they play in.

They’re also showing American fans the right way to play the game, with the exception of Downie, who’s had a few too many Matt Cooke-like moments in his young career. All these Canadian players play hockey the way it’s meant to be played. They go to the net, hustle, play strong defensively, and are great role models for American kids.

You really can’t blame the players for wanting to play in the Sun Belt either; wearing shorts and flip-flops to the arena does sound pretty nice.

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Blood drips, bodies fly, and the Knicks lose

Here's my Knicks recap from ProSportsBlogging. You can find it here http://prosportsblogging.com/nba-basketball/new-york-knicks-basketball/blood-drips-bodies-fly-and-the-knicks-lose/

I didn’t catch the entire Knicks-Celts game tonight, but from what I saw, this one was not for the faint at heart. This game was reminiscent of those extremely competitive, if a bit bloody, playoff series’ between the Knicks and Heat in the 90’s.

Troy Murphy left with a bloody nose, Big Baby Davis got caught with a Carmelo Anthony elbow to the head, and Ray Allen was forced to briefly leave the game in the third quarter with a bleeding head. Carmelo Anthony also took five stitches above his left eye, but New York still took the bout with a unanimous decision.

However, although the Knicks would’ve definitely taken this game in the ring, on the court it was another story. The real scoreboard, the one that matters in the NBA, showed 96-86 Celtics.

The Knicks started off strong in this one, and were up three after the first. The Beasts of Broadway really turned it on in the second quarter also, and entered the locker room with a 51-37 lead at the half. Sadly for the Knicks however, this was as good as it got. The Celtics outscored the Knicks 59-35 the rest of the way, and showed them why they are still the reigning Easten Conference Champions.

Early in the fourth, the Knicks were still up 82-73, but then Boston took it to a new level, going on a13-0 run to turn that Celtic deficit into a lead. The Knicks never recovered, and the Celts finished the game on a 23-4 run to give New York its third straight loss. 

Boston’s big three (although I think they should now be called a big four, with the emergence of Rondo) combined for 60 points, while the Knicks slightly smaller three (Amare, Melo and Billups) combined for 59. Amare only put up 16 in this game, and if the Knicks hope to go anywhere this postseason, he will need to be more involved then that.

Another player who the Knicks need in these types of games is Landry Fields. Fields shot 1-6 from the floor and put up a goose egg from the three point line. In a game like this, where the star players even out, depth and leadership become even more important. It’s role players like Fields, as well as clutch play down the stretch, that ultimately decide playoff style games like these.

Can Amare and Melo coexist?

Here is a piece I wrote about the Knicks for ProSportsBlogging. It can be found at http://prosportsblogging.com/nba-basketball/new-york-knicks-basketball/can-amare-and-melo-co-exist/

When the Carmelo Anthony mega-deal was finally completed on February 21^st, New York was ready to party. The Knicks had their own “Big Three” in Amare, Melo, and Chauncey Billups, and they were ready to take the East by storm.

The problem is though, this hasn’t been the case. The Knicks have been a model of inconsistency since Melo’s arrival in the Big Apple. They’ve played .500 ball, with a 7-7 record that has included both a three game winning streak and a three game losing streak. They suffered a humbling loss to the woeful Cavs in their second game of the Melo era, only to come back and beat the vaunted Heat two days later in Miami. As I said, inconsistent.

The Knicks haven’t necessarily gotten any worse since Melo came over from Denver; the problem is that they haven’t really gotten any better. They still score at the same high rate, and excluding their 92-79 win over the Hawks, they still can’t really defend. They still rank 28^th in the league in points allowed, and are 22^nd in defensive efficiency. As much as Melo may have brought flash and publicity to New York, he hasn’t exactly brought much in the way of defence.

Another problem with the Melo experiment thus far has been the difficult task of incorporating him into the offence without taking away from the rest of the team. It’s clear D’Antoni is trying extremely hard to run sets that maximize both of his stars talents, but so far, the results haven’t been great. Amare has said that he wants the Knicks to return to their “up tempo” offence, and that the Knicks have become too “predictable” in their half court sets.

These comments might be considered a bit selfish on the part of Amare, but keep in mind that this was Amare’s team first. Amare was the guy who initially came here when no one else wanted to, and it is rightfully his team. If anything, Melo should be option number two, and Amare should remain the alpha dog.

Some people may think that this is exactly what Amare wants. I think it’s actually the opposite though. I think Amare realizes that he’s no longer the only star on Broadway now. Amare knows that in order for this team to reach its true potential, he and Melo need to play together. He knows that they won’t go anywhere without working together, and in addressing the Knicks need to get back to what was working pre-Melo, Amare has underlined an ever growing problem within the Knicks offence.

Just like Lebron and Wade have had and are still having some problems learning to play off each other, Melo and Amare are going to go through the same transition period. If both of these guys start passing the rock around and playing together within the system, the Knicks can become nearly impossible to stop offensively. If D’Antoni and his two stars can’t find a way to play together though, then this team will continue to toil in mediocrity.

Amare and Melo have a choice. They can either be two “me-first” guys on an average team, or two co-existing stars on a championship contender. Seems like a no-brainer to me.

March Madness- Is it really an upset?

I’ll start this off by saying that I’m no bracketologist or March Madness expert. I’ve made some good picks this year (which you’ll read about soon), but I also picked St John’s to go to the Final Four, which didn’t work out too well. My bracket is far from perfect; it’s not even average, for that matter. However, I do have some ideas about how these brackets are analyzed and calculated, and I hope you enjoy.

Everyone knows that the best part of March Madness is, well, the madness of it all. America (that’s North America, not only the Excited States) loves a good underdog story, and there’s nothing better than buzzer beaters and frantic finishes.

Part of the magic of the tournament is the possibility that in any game, some hot shooting, small conference team can unseat a Big East or SEC powerhouse. The David and Goliath story has always been one of humanity’s favourite.

However, diving deeper into the teams and the tournament seeding, this underdog complex becomes a bit muddled. Rankings don’t tell the whole story, and sometimes they can be misleading. How small is David really, and for that matter, how much bigger is Goliath?

To translate for those who don’t understand the biblical reference: What’s the real difference between a 7 seed and a 10, or even a 5 and a 12?

To properly understand the lack of disparity between some teams in the tournament, look no further than this year’s first round matchup between 5^th seeded Vanderbilt and 12^th ranked Richmond. Looking at this game, Richmond must obviously be the underdog, no doubt about it. Vandy’s a five seed and Richmond’s a twelve, the Commodores should take this one no problem, right?

Wrong. Richmond beat Vanderbilt in a nail biter, and supplied the perfect example for this particular post. Most people considered the Spiders’ victory an upset, and based solely on the seeding of the two teams, they would be right. The thing is though, looking at the statistics, this wasn’t really an upset at all. Richmond finished 27-7 on the year, compared to Vanderbilt’s 22-10 mark. Granted, Vanderbilt does play in a stronger conference (SEC) than Richmond (Atlantic-10), but it still shows that the Spiders are no slouches.

Richmond also finished 3-3 against top 50 opponents this season, and four out of their seven losses came against tournament bound teams. Vandy, on the other hand, finished 5-8 against top 50 teams, including an abysmal 2-5 mark against teams in the top 25. Most of their losses were against strong SEC teams, but this only magnifies Vanderbilt’s troubles in dealing with good teams.  

Richmond’s Justin Harper and PG Kevin Anderson also both averaged over 16 ppg this season, and Anderson was on a tear going into the game, scoring 20+ in 5 of his last 6 games. Anderson is also a senior, which is a quality that can’t be overlooked come tournament time, especially with point guards.

Morehead State is another example. Morehead had a strong regular season as well, finishing 24-9. They also have a proven inside monster in senior center Kenneth Faried, and are flat out beastly on the offensive glass. While Morehead’s “upset” of Louisville was much more of an upset then Richmond’s over Vandy, it was nonetheless another case of the NCAA overplaying the whole underdog-favourite obsession.

Now this isn’t to say that Richmond or Morehead State should’ve been the favourite. I’m merely trying to point out the at-times misleading nature of NCAA tournament rankings. In most cases, the higher seed is still the favourite and the lower seed is still the underdog. The difference between the two teams is rarely as big as advertised though.

The NCAA would love to keep this a secret. The Cinderella story is a proven seller, and if people found out that these Cinderella teams aren’t really as Cinderella-ey as they are made out to be, some of the magic may be lost.

The tournament needs this magic though. As long as tiny David keeps trying to dethrone mighty Goliath, the magic of the tournament will live on, and with it, so will the madness.

PS: I picked Richmond and Morehead State in my bracket. Just saying.

Can the Jimmer do it alone?

With the NCAA tournament starting on Thursday (I don’t count the money grabbing play-in games), I think a March Madness post is due. I’ll spare you the generic “here are my bracket and upset picks” article, and instead focus on one specific subject. I’ve always found it’s more interesting to discuss key players and teams, instead of the tournament as a whole.

In this case, I’m talking about one team, and specifically, one player. He’s a player that almost everyone (including non College Basketball fans) knows, and he is one of the few players with the potential to light this tournament up with both his scoring and star profile.

The one, the only, the Jimmer        

In a year where ranked teams dropped like flies and no clear cut favourites emerged, Jimmer mania has taken hold of the nation. From circus layups to near half court three balls, the Jimmer is undoubtedly the most exciting player in basketball. He’s brought BYU into the national spotlight, and has enthralled even the most casual of basketball fans.

In a league where great scorers average 20 points per game, Jimmer averages 28.5. In a league where you’re supposed to play by the book and run specific sets and plays, Jimmer heaves deep treys whenever he feels like it. He takes crazy fall aways, contested midrange J’s, and out of the country threes; and still shoots 45 percent from the field. In the MWC tournament semi finals, BYU won 87-76, and Jimmer scored 52. 52 points, that is not a typo. He scored 60% of his team’s points, and it’s not like BYU had a bad offensive game.

As much as he tries to tell the media otherwise, Jimmer is BYU. Without him, BYU wouldn’t be even half the team they are now. It’s not just his scoring numbers though, it’s so much more. To fully understand Jimmer’s effect on the Cougars, we have to look beyond the statistics.

Jimmer averages 4 assists a game, which is already pretty high for a combo guard in college. But assist totals don’t even begin to explain what kind of effect Jimmer has on his teammates. Jimmer’s “in the building range” (CBS analyst’s words) forces teams to double him most of the time, which creates open shots for his teammates. His primary defender also can’t help on any other BYU player if the play breaks down since he has to stick to Jimmer at all times.  He spaces out the floor, keeps the middle of the lane unclogged, and gives his teammates the opportunity to go one on one with their defenders whenever they want.

Having said all of this, keep in mind that not everything is so rosy in Cougar Land. Since starter and leading rebounder Brandon Davies’ suspension for breaking the Honour Code, Jimmer has taken an insane number of shots, even for him. In the five games since Davies’ suspension, Jimmer has shot over 40% of his team’s shots four times. He’s even had two +50% games, both against New Mexico (51.4% and 54.4%).

Now the big question is: Can the Jimmer do it alone?

I hate to say it, but I don’t think he can. Without Davies, the Cougars are simply not strong enough to battle Pitt and Florida in the Southeast region, and will have trouble with any big, long team that can (to some degree) lock down Jimmer. That may mean holding him to only 30, but I digress.

BYU is way too reliant on Jimmer, and if he’s hoisting up 25-30 shots a game, they’ll be in trouble. Then again, if Jimmer catches fire and starts knocking down shots from different time zones, we could see the Cougars in the Final Four. It probably won’t happen, but it’s always nice to dream; Jimmer Fredette, raining down shots in Houston, continuing to prove all the naysayers wrong.

Jimmerific.

Pacioretty aftermath; without proper discipline, NHL's injury problems will continue

Montreal was a pretty angry city yesterday, and not just because we were on the verge of a snowstorm in March. After news that Zdeno Chara would not be disciplined by the league, the whole city was up in arms; and rightfully so.

I still stand by what I said yesterday about Chara not intending to injure Pacioretty. However, this was nonetheless a horrible incident with horrible consequences, and should be treated as such. Even if Chara had not intended to fracture Pacioretty’s vertebrae, the fact of the matter is, sadly, that he did. The only way for the NHL to get rid of head shots and reduce the amount of life threatening injuries to its players is by taking action. The NHL must show its backbone and put its foot down; no more dirty hits without major consequence.

It’s at the point of becoming a matter of life and death. I can honestly say that there was a point during the aftermath of the hit last night where I thought there was a chance Pacioretty could have died. The force of the hit was that strong.

The health of its players should be reason enough for the NHL to put a heavy price on dangerous hits. However, there is even one more reason why the NHL needs to take control of this situation. These kinds of violent and scary-to-watch plays are awful for the NHL’s reputation. The NHL is all about growing its brand all over the world, and especially in the United States, and this is why it’s so amazing that the league still chooses to do nothing.

Last night, on the front page of ESPN.com, there was one small headline about the Pacioretty hit/injury, and it read “Habs forward fractures neck – No discipline”.

That is the worst possible headline for the NHL.

Tons of Americans will no doubt read this headline, and this is the only thing some of them will hear about this story. Tens of thousands of American non hockey fans will be turned off of hockey forever, and will never know the true beauty of the game. As far as they’re concerned, the NHL is a league full of stick carrying convicts who can nearly kill each other without any sort of punishment.

A simple suspension and fine could have helped with both of these issues. The NHL’s reputation would not take a hit, and the safety of its players would not be put in further jeopardy. The “intention rulebook” should have been thrown out, replaced by the “common sense rulebook”. Yes, maybe Chara didn’t intend to ram Pacioretty into the turnbuckle. Maybe he didn’t intend to injure him either. But none of that matters right now.  

All that matters is that one phenomenal young hockey player is sitting in a hospital bed, unsure if he’ll ever play again; and all most people will hear is that there was “no discipline”.

Max Pacioretty-Zdeno Chara; Was the Intent Really There?

Just as I promised, here are my thoughts about last night’s Max Pacioretty-Zdeno Chara hit. While my friend did bring up some good points, I think he left out some key issues. I can’t really blame him though, he wrote the article only minutes after it had happened, so I’m sure a lot of the post was based strictly on emotion.

I believe, like my friend, that the NHL’s stance on fighting and head shots is one of the main causes of this horrible incident. From Trevor Gillies hit on Cal Clutterbuck  (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hwl85L1E1M) to Matt Cooke’s vicious elbow of Marc Savard (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-I5m4f0ZXA), head shots have become extremely prevalent in hockey. Savard still hasn’t fully recovered from his hit, and he’s been shut down for the season by the Bruins. Until the NHL does something drastic to curb headshots and other dirty hits (8-15 game suspensions sound about right to me), these things will continue to happen.

My main issue with my friend’s post however, is his intent to injure theory. While yes, there might have been some animosity between Pacioretty and Chara, and yes, the Habs and Bruins aren’t exactly best pals, I still don’t believe this particular hit was intentional. The play happened too quickly. The hit was definitely illegal (Pacioretty didn’t have the puck), but it happened so quickly that there was no way Chara could have planned it this way. With slo-mo instant replay, it is impossible to tell just how fast the play happened, and because of this, the hit looks much worse. Now don’t get me wrong, you’ll never confuse me for a Zdeno Chara fan; however, there is no doubt in my mind that it was not Chara’s intentions to put Max Pacioretty in a stretcher.

The best event that I can compare it to is Todd Bertuzzi’s despicable assault of Steve Moore back in 2004. Bertuzzi was upset that Moore and the Avalanche had taken out Vancouver captain Markus Naslund in the teams’ previous meeting. He took matters into his own hands during their next game; chasing Moore around the ice, grabbing him from behind, and driving him head first into the ice.

Now the main difference between this play and the Chara hit is intent. Bertuzzi clearly went out of his way to take care of Moore, while Chara’s was more of a fast paced (albeit dirty), physical hockey play. I’m not saying Chara should be fully excused; I’m just pointing out the difference between someone who was clearly trying to injure (Bertuzzi) to someone who simply made a dirty play in a bad location (Chara).

There is also another matter for the NHL to consider, the size of the rink. For years, I’ve been saying NHL rinks needs to be expanded. Players are so big and strong that keeping them in a tightly packed area is bound to cause major problems. The area near the benches must also be fixed, as players are incredibly vulnerable to serious injury. If the rinks were expanded and the bench area was made safer, it would heavily decrease the amount of deadly hits and injuries.

I think it’s clear that there are many factors to account for when an issue like this arises; you can’t just point at Zdeno Chara and say that it is completely his fault. While I do think the NHL needs to send a message by handing out a lengthy suspension, I think they must also take a good, hard look at themselves. They need to find a balance; punish the offender, but fix your own policies as well. After all, the NHL isn’t only responsible for its teams and its players; it is responsible for preserving the integrity of the game as well.

Guest Speaker: Max Pacioretty Hit

After Zdeno Chara's vicious hit that left Montreal Canadiens forward Max Pacioretty unconcious, I knew there'd be a lot to talk about. Luckily, a friend of mine, Cory Schneider, was in full on ranting mood, and was very happy to give his opinion on the matter. Below you'll find his thoughts on the hit (edited by me), and I'm sure you'll enjoy.

Also, expect a response post from me within the next day. My opinion of the play differs a bit from the one in this article, and I think it will be good to get multiple viewpoints on this increasingly important topic.

Let me just begin this article by sending my best wishes to Max Pacioretty.

Colin Campbell has the task of handing down a suspension now to one of the league’s biggest stars. I’m stating this as fact, because there is no doubt in my mind that what Chara did to Max Pacioretty was on purpose. I just hope the suspension isn’t lightened because Chara is the captain of a playoff team fighting for first place in a hockey market; execute him for all I care.

Journalists who say that Chara’s hit was just a rub out gone wrong have to look at this in context. Did the last two Montreal-Boston games not end in brawls? On January 8^th Pacioretty won the game in overtime and may have gotten a little carried away by giving Chara a shove on the way by. The latter lead to fights breaking out all over the ice, which eventually led to the battle royale that was the Canadiens-Bruins game on February 9^th.. This shove however, was no excuse for the dirty late neck bending hit Chara gave in return.

Those who still insist Chara was just throwing his weight around in the wrong place at the wrong time have to realize that he must be held responsible anyways. At six-feet nine inches tall and 255 pounds Chara is known as the NHL’s big man, and with great size comes great responsibility. He can’t be carelessly hitting whoever he pleases whenever.

This isn’t some amateur defenseman who has no idea what he’s doing either. We’re talking about a five time all star and Norris Trophy winner; trust me when I say he knows where he is, and what he’s doing when he’s on the ice.

Now we come to the point that angers me most. If Lemieux is hypocrite for having Cooke on his roster then I don’t know what that makes Chara. How can any Boston Bruin go out and take such a cheap shot when you train, travel, play and basically live with teammates Marc Savard and Patrice Bergeron. Both have been the victims of multiple head hits and have their careers put in jeopardy by repeated blows to the head. Then Chara goes out and does what he did to a budding star In Pacioretty, who is finally getting his career on track. If I was either Savard or Bergeron I wouldn’t be able to look Chara in the eye anymore.

It comes to me as no surprise that something like this happened during this game. This game was being marketed on local Boston sports channel NESN by showing a montage of the fights from the previous game. This is what’s wrong with the game as it stands now. I’m all for fighting, but some American fans take it too far; the sport doesn’t revolve around violence, violence is just part of the game.

I wish I could talk about how changing the rules will protect the players and stop these incidents from happening, but the truth is they won’t. More severe punishments after the fact won’t deter players from cheap shots like these in the midst of play. Player have no respect for each other, and it may take an incident even worse than this or countless other head shots to make players think twice. That is the unfortunate reality, until someone gets really hurt, or possible worse, hits like these will keep on coming. 

At least there were some positives; Lars Eller seems to be coming into his own, unfortunately his performance was overshadowed.  Also there was some respect shown when, despite his absence, Habs fans demonstrated their class by voting Pacioretty third star and gave him a minute long ovation. Also, credit must be given to the coaches for keeping the game in check after the incident, especially Claude Julien. Julien avoided further conflict by delegating agitator Shawn Thornton to the box to serve Chara’s five minute penatly.

Another Legend Without an Off Switch

If any of you recall, I wrote a previous post about how players shouldn’t come out of retirement in order to preserve their legacy. I love when new examples appear that support what I’ve already said.

Let’s start with the easiest one; none other than our good friend Peter Forsberg. If you remember, I openly stated that Forsberg’s comeback try was a mistake.

Two games, no points, and a -4 rating later, I think it’s safe to say Forsberg should’ve stayed on his couch. Except for the minor publicity that he gave the Avalanche and the NHL, Forsberg brought nothing to the league or the organization. It was another fruitless comeback attempt for another aging star, and really, it’s becoming sad to watch.

Most NFL players don’t watch hockey though, so it comes as no surprise that another NFL player is attempting a Forsberg-esque comeback. Today, Tiki Barber announced that he wants to return to the NFL.

I guess it’s true, history does repeat itself. Here is another sad case of a retired player hanging on for one last shot at the big time. Although many Giants fans may remember Tiki for his negative comments about Eli Manning, they also remember him for being a speedy, elusive, tough as nails running back who always gave his team everything he had. He retired as one of the greatest backs in the Giants storied history, and also finished as their all time leading receiver.

That’s how he should be remembered.

He shouldn’t be remembered as that guy who couldn’t call it quits. Some people applauded Tiki when he retired as a 32 year old back in 2006. Here was a guy who knew when to hang ‘em up.

But he never really did hang ‘em up; he just put them away for storage. Tiki wants to come back now, and like it was for the many who have tried before him, I can only see this ending badly.

According to multiple sources, Tiki hopes to join his brother Ronde in Tampa Bay. While this may seem like a good fit and an even nicer story, I don’t think so. The Bucs are young and talented. They need to continue to learn to win as a group, and the more they grow together as a unit, the better they’ll be. Last year, the Bucs thrived as nobody-cares-about-us underdogs who stayed out of the limelight. Tiki would not only disrupt the chemistry on the team, but he would bring a New York sized spotlight into Tampa Bay.

Even if you discount the negative attention Tiki will bring, he doesn’t even fit well as a player. The Bucs picked up a huge sleeper last year in running back Lagarette Blount. He ran the ball extremely well for them last year, and will continue to improve. They also have Cadillac Williams to back him up, and although he’s listed at fullback, Earnest Graham (a former 1000 yard rusher) as insurance.

The Bucs (as well as most other teams) don’t need Tiki, and frankly, Tiki doesn’t really need them. Hes better off staying retired, and preserving his legacy as possibly the greatest running back in Giants history. There aren’t too many players who can make that claim.

The Forgotten Triplet

All the talk this NBA offseason was about the Big Three. Lebron James, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh were supposed to join together to create a super team that could leap tall buildings in a single bound. The Heat were supposed to dominate the NBA with these three “superstars”. While they’ve been one of the better teams in the NBA, they haven’t been as dominant as some people (and especially Miami residents) presumed. But the Heat’s lack of dominance is not the focus of this post.

When three “stars” join together on one team, they obviously need to learn how to co-exist with each other on the court. They need to learn to share the ball, and understand that sometimes the offence won’t run through them. They can’t all be “The Guy” anymore.

Enter Chris Bosh.

In my mind, no player has suffered as much as Bosh has since joining the Heat. In Toronto, Bosh was the alpha dog. The Raptors looked to him whenever they needed a score, he was the statistical and emotional leader of the team, and he was the go-to guy in every sense of the phrase.

That player is now long gone. Instead of Bosh the leader, we are now left with Bosh the third banana. He’s not only the third option, but a very lengthy third option at that. The Heat is Lebron’s team, with a minority ownership going to Dwayne Wade. Bosh barely even has a few stocks.

Bosh has always been best with the ball in his hands. He’s too big for small forwards to handle, and too quick for most Power Forwards. Off the dribble and in the block, he’s extremely difficult to guard. In Toronto, the system was made for him. Everything ran through Bosh, and he was the unrivalled leader of the team. Bosh gained a reputation as one of the best players in the NBA (top 10 in my mind, as a Raptor).

Now Bosh is nothing but a complementary player. The Heat don’t rely on him nearly as much as they rely on Lebron and Wade, and Bosh rarely has plays run for him. He’s forced to play off the ball a lot, where main talents as a player are wasted.

Bosh’s player efficiency rating (a revolutionary stat used to determine a player’s overall value) has dropped from 1^st in the NBA among PF’s last year, to 17^th this year. His Estimated Wins Added has also dropped from 17 games last year to only 7 this year. Basically, these stats show just how much Bosh’s value has decreased. His importance as a player has dropped heavily in just one year, and for the Heat, he’s become just another run of the mill power forward.

While Bosh will have a much better chance at winning an NBA championship in Miami, he will never develop into the same kind of star as he would have in Toronto. He will always play third fiddle to the two big dogs on his team, and a lot of his potential will be squashed. Sure, he may end up as an NBA championship, but never as “The Guy”.

Let this be a lesson to other NBA alpha dogs. Just because one star decides to “take his talents to South Beach”, doesn’t mean that all others have to follow him.

While Temperatures may be Warm, the South is no Hockey Hotbed

Sorry for the lack of recent posts. Sadly, I still have to go to school, and have been quite busy lately.

After watching the Canadiens’ 3-1 win over the Thrashers last night in Atlanta, I have only one question: Why does Atlanta even have a hockey team?

The Habs are always a huge draw, even on the road. There are Canadiens’ fans everywhere, and teams usually get bigger crowds when they are in town. I haven’t checked the “official” attendance numbers (which is usually fabricated by the home team anyways) for last night’s game, but even on TV; it was easy to see that attendance was low. There were tons of empty seats in the first 20 or so rows, and I swear, there was almost a full section that was completely empty.

It’s nearly impossible to get seats like these in a place like Montreal, but in Atlanta they couldn’t even sell them. To put it simply, people in Atlanta don’t care about hockey. As Canadiens’ colour commentator Benoit Brunet said (I’m paraphrasing and translating here), “they have a baseball team, a football team and a basketball team. In Atlanta, hockey is fifth out of four in terms of sports”.

The lack of attendance doesn’t just hurt the owner’s pockets, but it hurts the players’ morale too. There’s no electricity in an empty arena, and it’s hard for players to get pumped up to play an NHL game when they’re playing in front of 6000 people who are only at the game because they have nothing better to do.

Now compare this to a place like Quebec City, Winnipeg or even Hamilton. The people who live in these cities love hockey as much as they love their Tim Hortons. These cities would be thankful just to have a team, and I guarantee you they would never have empty seats in the lower bowl.

For some reason however, Commissioner Gary Bettman seems intent on growing the NHL brand in the Sun Belt. From the sparse (to put it nicely) crowds in places like Atlanta, Phoenix and Florida, you would think that Mr. Bettman would have learned that this is a fruitless pursuit. Hockey will never be popular in the Southern United States; it has too much ground to gain on the other sports.

Hockey has no history in the South, especially compared to football and baseball. If the Thrashers, and other teams with similar problems (Hello, Phoenix Coyotes) were to move to Canada, all these problems would be solved immediately. Some people point to the size of the cities in question, but in reality, it is not about how many people live in the city, but about how many of those people actually care about hockey.

Even if there are 1.5 million people living in the Phoenix area, that doesn’t mean that there are more Coyotes fans and ticket buyers then there would be in Hamilton (pop. 740 000) or Winnipeg (675 000).

Not only would there be more fans in these smallish Canadian cities, but the quality of the fans would be higher as well. Instead of having a few thousand “fans” who still think icing is what you put on cake, the relocation of Sun Belt teams would bring about packed arenas, full of knowledgable, diehard hockey fans. Instead however, real hockey fans are left out in the cold, and the NHL is stuck bargaining and begging people in the South to support their teams.

So please, Commissioner Bettman, give the real fans their teams, and leave the beach bums alone. People in Canada will be forever grateful, and as for the South, well, they probably won’t even notice.