Monday, May 15, 2006

Booing the National Anthem

My hat goes off to the lovely fans down in San Jose, CA who decided that it would be appropriate to boo loudly during the singing of the Canadian National Anthem before last night's game 5 VICTORY for the visiting Edmoton Oilers. A classy move through and through that I'm sure did nothing to add more fuel to what already was a red-hot Oilers team.

This whole business of booing the other countries national anthem is really getting old. I recognize that Canadian hockey fans are not absent of blame in this petty little game. I think it was Montreal Canadien fans who started the booing game two years ago at a game at the Bell Centre. However, it's Montreal. That's not really a part of Canada. It's kind of like Cousin Eddie from the National Lampoon's movies. You know he's there in his tight green pants and cream coloured dickie, but you'd just rather pretend that he's not really a part of the family.

But let's get real here San Jose. The fact of the matter is, if it wasn't for Canada you'd have no Sharks to cheer for. And even if you did, you certainly wouldn't be watching your team play in the playoffs.

When you boo Canada you're also booing your captain, Patrick Marleau; your top point-getter, Joe Thornton; the league's leading goal scorer, Jonathan Cheechoo; your best two-way player, Alyn McCauley; your best stay-at-home defenceman, Kyle McClaren. All good Canadian boys who perfected their craft on Canadian soil and still call Canada "home".

When you boo Canada you're booing the home and native land of the heart and soul of your hockey team.

Canadian hockey players and National pride is like the United States and blind arrogance. You can't have one without the other.

I certainly hope the Oilers fans don't reciprocate this idiotic behaviour and boo loudly when the Star Spangled banner is sung tomorrow night (although I'm sure they will). We have to realize that the US has provided Canadian hockey fans with lots of great players to watch as well. I mean there's Chris Chelios, and then there's . . . well, I'm sure more names will come to me later.

I hope Oiler's fans take the high road and allow the fact that their team is going to send the Sharks packing tomorrow night do all the talking (or booing) for them.

The fact of the matter is, now that the NHL is such a multi-national sport, perhaps the NHL should consider eliminating the singing of the Canadian and US national anthems from the start of the games. Sure these games are being played in North American cities but more importantly than that, the players who make up these teams are from many different countries.

However, if we did that then there's a chance we'd never get to see Hulk Hogan or Wayne Gretzky's daughter's lip-sync the anthems again. And that would certainly be something to boo about.

Go Oilers!

Thursday, May 04, 2006

Good thing I don't do this for a living . . .

To quote Jim Carey's character, Lloyd Christmas, "I was way off."

If I was paid to give my predictions I think I'd have to return whatever money I was given. Yes indeedy, after the first round of the 2006 NHL playoffs I am certainly proving that I am no Amazing Kreskin (sp?). After some of my first round predictions I may not even be in the same league as Maggie the Monkey from TSN. Ouch.

I especially got worked in the Western Conference where all my picks, save for San Jose taking out the Predators, ended up being wrong. Not only did my beloved Red Wings lose to the surging Oil, but the Dallas Stars flopped badly in losing to, what I believe to be, a not very good Colorado Avalanche team and of course the Calgary Flames took a serious nose dive in losing in game 7 to the Anaheim Mighty Ducks (in what was by far the worst game 7 ever played in any pro sport).

To quote my good friend Donnie, "What the heck in the world?" The wild west was certainly just that as all four of the top seeds are now booking tee times at their local golf courses.

My predictions for the Eastern Conference were a little better, but only slightly. Ottawa exorcised some playoff demons by eliminating the defending champs in Tampa Bay. Buffalo sent the classless, and speedless (is that a word?) Philadelphia Flyers in six games. I got those two right. I was looking good in the Montreal/Carolina series after the first two games but I'll give full props to Carolina for turning things around in a hurry and winning the next four games to advance.

Of course, people in Moose Jaw (and Red Deer) are not the least bit surprised to see what Cam Ward is doing in his rookie season between the pipes for the 'Canes. Warrior fans watched Ward and Dion Phaneuf team up to do a two-man dance all over the hearts of what was then the best Warriors team ever in the 2004 season. To people who don't know better, Cam Ward is a cinderella story. To me, this is just a good goalie doing what all good goalies do.

So, do I try my luck at some second round predictions or do I smash the crystal ball and just sit back and enjoy the games? If you just yelled, "Press your luck" then you know me well.

Here's my round 2 predictions:
East- Ottawa over Buffalo (6 games); New Jersey over Carolina (7 games)
West- Edmonton over San Jose (7 games); Anaheim over Colorado (7 games)

Most importantly, in WHL action, our hometown Warriors open up the WHL Finals tomorrow night in Vancouver. The Tribes first ever appearance in the league championship series should be a beauty. Our great little city is truly fired up about our beloved Warriors. To say the bandwagon is overflowing would be like saying John Daly may have a bit of a gambling problem.
For those of you in other parts of the world you can listen in to the Warriors webcast (and listen to the voice of the Warriors, our good friend Randy Merkley) at www.discovermoosejaw.com.

Go Warriors Go!

Tuesday, May 02, 2006

What do the Detroit Red Wings and PGA golfers have in common?

Answer: They'll both be playing golf this weekend.

Apparently the spring sunshine and increasingly warm temperatures were to much for my Wings to handle as they handed over a 2-0 third period lead last night en route to yet another first-round exit after a dominant regular season that saw them finish first overall.

The high-powered Wings were outplayed by a younger, faster and a far more hungry Edmonton Oilers team that simply outclassed the #1 seed in the Western Conference. In all honesty, Detroit was lucky to have six games in this first round series.

I have no problem giving full credit to the Edmonton Oilers on this one. They played some fantastic hockey in this series. Is it just me or does this Oiler team not remind you of the 2004 version of the Calgary Flames? I definitely get a sense that this team is set-up for a long run in the playoffs.

And talk about X-factors, did I not say that if the Oilers get solid goaltending from Dwayne Roloson then they will be a very tough team to beat? Fact is with solid goaltending there really isn't much difference between the Oil as a #8 seed and the Wings as a #1. This is not a fluke victory. This is parity at it's finest.

The Western Conference is definitely a testimony to the competitive balance in the new-look NHL. If Calgary loses at home tomorrow night then the so-called top four teams in the west will have all been eliminated in the first round.

I love to see my Wings dominate and I would have loved to have seen them win another cup, but I love to see this type of competitive balance where any team has a chance to win on any given night.

Sure I'm sad to see Detroit suffer yet another first round exit after a dominating regular season. Sure I'm ticked that all the so-called "hockey experts" are now going to say that Detroit's regular season dominance was due to the fact that they had so many games against Western Conference cellar dwellers in St.Louis, Chicago and Columbus (the fact is a win is a win, regardless of whether it's against St. Louis or Ottawa).

Unfortunately for Edmonton I think the focus will be more on what might be wrong with Detroit as opposed to all the good things going on in Edmonton. I don't think there's anything wrong with Detroit. I think the focus should be on the fact they got beat by a better team.

The saddest part for me last night was watching Stevie Y shake hands in what probably was his last game as captain of the Wings. I am a Red Wings fan because I watched Yzerman play a game against the Leafs one Saturday night when I was 9 years old (nearly 20 years ago) and I greatly admired the heart and determination (as well as the immense skill) that this guy possessed. I think it's fair to say that I am Steve Yzerman fan first and a Detroit Red Wings fan second.

Should Stevie Y retire this summer (and I think it's fairly certain that he will) I don't know how much of my devotion to the Motor City maniacs will retire along with him. I'm sure lots of Wings fans went through the same thing when Gordie Howe retired. It's funny how many memories, how much of your childhood and teenage years get wrapped up in one single player.

Anyways, I hope that if Yzerman does retire he'll stay involved in hockey in some aspect. The game still needs great ambassadors and there's not many players in the history of the game who played with as much heart and leadership as Stevie Y.

Thanks for the memories.

Monday, May 01, 2006

Lots to talk about in the world of sports

Well, as a sports fan I'm not sure there's a better time of year than right now.

Major League Baseball is in full swing (pun intended) now and all my teams are doing reasonably well (the Indians, Jays and Cubs). As a long-time Cubbies fan I've found that I need to have other favorite teams to cheer for because focussing just on the Cubs would be far too painful.

The NBA playoffs are in full gear as well. As a long-time Steve Nash fan (going back to when he first busted onto the scene as a dynamite PG at Santa Clara) I have been watching the Suns' opening round battle (and it has been a battle) with the "Lake Show". I wasn't a big Kobe Bryant fan going into this series and I have to say, after the first four games of this series I like the guy even less. I recognize that there's a huge amount of ego in the NBA- probably more-so than in any other professional sport- but Kobe is so far ahead of any other professional athlete when it comes to arrogance, it just angers me to see him succeed :). Kid Canada has had a tough series so far as he tries to carry the load for a Suns team that just doesn't seem to have what it takes to get by a Lakers squad that is finally playing like a Phil Jackson-led team. Put a healthy Amare Stoudemire and Kurt Thomas in that Suns front court and you've got a four game sweep for the Stevey and the Sunshine gang.

My other NBA team- the Detroit Pistons- are also facing some early adversity in the first round against the Milwaukee Bucks. Rip Hamilton's been slowed by a sprained ankle and Milwaukee is led by one of the best pure shooters in the game in Michael Redd. Detroit will survive and go on to the NBA finals no doubt, and I'm actually thankful that Milwaukee is giving them a bit of a push in this first round series because it's only going to make the Bad Boys v.2 that much stronger down the stretch.

I'm glad my slo-pitch season kicks off tonight (as long as no more rain falls today) because it means that I can focus on something other than the potential demise of my beloved Detroit Red Wings. On the verge of coupling yet another first overall regular season finish with a first round playoff exit, the Wings have been given all they can handle (and then some) from the young and hungry Edmonton Oilers.

In a previous post I put Dwayne Roloson down as one of my playoff X-factors, believing that if the Oil got good tending from Rollie the Goalie then the Wings were in big trouble. Well. so far Roloson has been outstanding and low and behold, the Oilers have a 3-2 series lead with a chance to send the Wings packing in front of what I'm sure will be a wild Rexall Place crowd in Edmonton.

As much as I'd hate to see Detroit bow out early, AGAIN, there is a part of me that also would love to see the rebirth of the Battle of Alberta. In the first year of the "New NHL" I think it would be great for one of hockey's greatest all-time rivalries to be thrown into the incinerator in the first playoff season of the new era.

I'm still hoping though that Detroit pulls it out tonight and lives to fight another day on Wednesday back at the Joe.