I watched with much attention to the Steve Moore news conference last
evening and one word came to mind and it is the name of a classic Clint
Eastwood western movie - "unforgiving".
Moore states that he has no memory of the Todd Bertuzzi incident and that
all he does remember is waking up on a stretcher with a group of medical
attendants standing around him.
He obviously has no intention of forgiving Bertuzzi in the near future. He
quickly used a Gary Bettman-like politically-correct quote saying that
"there is no room in the game for incidents like this" and left it at that.
The "Don Rickles - Mr. Warmth" of the hockey world - Brian Burke responded
saying that he and the entire Canuck organization wish Steve Moore a speedy
and healthy recovery and he was surprised how well Steve appeared to be.
His quote read like a Hallmark "get well" card.
Why does Mr. Burke always seem to be more emotional and passionate when it
comes to berating media people such as Al Strachan?
This is the same person who weeks ago verbally "beat up" the media for what
he termed "personal attacks" on Bertuzzi soon after the attack on Moore.
I'm all for standing up for your players and being a leader but sometimes
you have to accept the consequences of your actions and Todd Bertuzzi and
Brian Burke have to realize that Bertuzzi will be justifiably maligned for
his attack on Moore for some time.
I give Burke credit for taking the spotlight off Bertuzzi and speaking out
on behalf of one of his star players but let's not confuse fact with
fiction?
Is it just me hockey fans or has the NHL all of a sudden become a less
aggressive, more tentative sport since the Bertuzzi/Moore incident?
There seems to be less hitting and fighting and more emphasis on leaving the
gloves on and staying out of the penalty box.
Or has Mr. Bettman told the teams, officials and fans that the face of
hockey will change and everyone is starting to listen?
Two NHL teams who have suffered due to the loss of impact players:
1) New Jersey Devils - Scott Stevens is their heart and soul. Pat Burns
needs someone to step up and take control like Stevens would and has in the
past.
2) Vancouver Canucks - Todd Bertuzzi is a stud and the 'Nucks look like a
balloon that someone poked with a needle.
They are physically and emotionally deflated!
I am not an Ottawa Senators fan but I have to take my hat off to Daniel
Alfredsson, his agent and the Ottawa Senators for what seems to be a
"perfect" negotiation on a new five year contact worth approximately $36
million US.
Unlike Alexei Yashin, when he was an Ottawa Senator, Alfredsson will honor
the full term of his contract and be an Ottawa Senator for the remainder of
his career.
Here's a guy that in my opinion is one of the top ten players in the NHL. He
scores points, plays the point well (offensively and defensively) on his
team's power plays and is probably one of the few "European" captains in the
NHL who plays hard, game in and game out and deserves every penny he earns.
I use the Martin Lapointe comparison. Lapointe earns approximately $5.5
million US and he is a good player. He is a big reason that the Bruins are
near the top of the league's standings but in the grand scheme of things,
either he is over-paid or Alfredsson is under-paid?
Alfredsson is a class act.
A few years ago, I thought "Alfie" would be injury-laden because of his knee
problems and he would turn out to be an under-achiever due to nagging
injuries. He deserves full marks for working hard through the bumps and
bruises and becoming a great leader and great player.
I'm going to swallow my pride and predict that the Ottawa Senators will be
Stanley Cup champions in the next few years.
With all due respect to Jacques Martin and/or John Muckler but losing
Patrick Lalime to a "lower body" injury may be a blessing in disguise.
Martin Prusek may not be your goalie of the "future", he may turn out to be
the Sens' goalie of the "present". He reminds me of a younger and
less-experienced Domink Hasek and we all now what he did to the world of
goaltending.
I watched the two of the "fastest" teams play last night and the fact that
the Sens/Lightning game went into overtime was a bonus for fans who like the
passing, shooting and scoring part of the game.
Funny though, both teams seem to have that one question mark - goaltending?
Speaking of goaltending, Bobby Clarke missed the boat again. He trades for
Sean Burke, hoping that he would be the final piece of the puzzle, now he
has to settle for Robert Esche who has been "awful" lately.
The Leafs should simply skip the first period of each of their home games,
ask the opposing teams to accept a one goal advantage and start the game in
the second period.
I guess that there are so many veterans on the Leafs squad that it takes
their legs twenty minutes to start moving.
Has there been a better "trade deadline" pick up than Brian Leetch. He can
score points and plays great in front of his goalie?
John Ferguson Jr. looks like a genius.
It would be scary to think where the Leafs would be if Leetch played the
entire season for the blue and white.
He would be battling Chara, Souray, Blake and others for the Norris trophy.
Chad Kilger looks quite comfortable in a Leafs' jersey as well.
For the entire season, I have watched Ed Belfour give goaltending clinics
night in and night out. He is the sole reason the Leafs are fighting for
home ice advantage in the playoffs.
Forget Martin St.Louis, Ilya Kovalchuk and Markus Naslund, if Ed Belfour
does not win the Hart trophy as NHL MVP, it will be a crime.
Still on the Leafs, Owen Nolan is out for three weeks with a knee problem
but they won't skip a beat because surprising rookie Matt Stajan can step in
and do a great job.
He may not have as much grit and toughness as Nolan but there are not many
occasions where Stajan has not come out of the corner without the puck.
And yes, this kid is a rookie but plays with the poise and confidence of a
veteran.
Finally on hockey, every Tuesday morning for years, I have read with great
detail, the weekly statistics for the league and every team in the NHL.
Joe Sakic makes time stand still. He's been in the league for what seems
like forever and he is always at or near the top in points scored. Yes, he
has played with some great players and he's captained some powerful teams
but even with the best all around player in the league Peter Forsberg,
injured and missing in action, Sakic still racks up the points.
He plays with the same speed and skills today as he did in his younger days
with the Quebec Nordiques.
Will this guy ever slow down?
The CIS hockey final between St FX and UNB was everything hockey at this
level should be.
Good passing, speed and good goaltending. I was pleasantly surprised at the
calibre of play.
It appears that university hockey is alive and well and thriving in the
Maritime provinces of Canada.
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