BleacherBuff

Massey's meaningless musings pt. 1

2011-03-23T22:48:00.000-07:00

It's that time of year again folks.Those Gillette Fusion, Slap Stick and, bless those who use them, Bic razors can be ushered to the back of the hygiene line.
Playoffs are amongst us!

Five-o-clock shadows become month-long adventures. No honey, I did not miss a spot! Thats one side of the face still trying to catch up to the other.

Whether your a Canucks fan destined for a 3 week binge and a quick stubble jump if you will, or a Flames fan and your 9th place team forces you to join in the madness without really being deserving of it, we salute you.

May the fuzz be with you!

***
If you haven't already seen it, here's a video clip that will be sure to make all those who are bullied out there a chance to feel good

Good Guys 1 Insecure (insert naughty name here) 0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OeunFjpudzg

Alex Giroux, Liam Reddox, J-F Jacques, Chris Vande Velde, Ryan O'Marra....

*YAWN*

How many draft picks do we need before we come to the conclusion that something just isn't working. Well I've got two words for you to ponder as you lay in bed tonight...

Rebuild Shmebuild.

Why not let's trade every productive player we have for a bunch of unknowns. As Steve Tambellini and the Oiler brass have failed to realize, owning first round draft picks are like blind dates. The anticipation is often better than the real thing (or so I've heard)

So we'll end up racking up ten draft picks in this year's less-than-spectacular draft. And you know what that gets us now and two years down the road. Jack. Not Jack the prospect but Jack SQUAT. The polite name for ABSOLUTELY NOTHING.

Maybe it's time to live and succeed in the moment.
Maybe its time to manage and ice a team that makes you proud.
Maybe it's time for a little...(to steal a line from the great, though often delusional Charlie Sheen)

WINNING!

And in the meantime...I'll just shut my big yap.

Lights, Camera, Action. 2010/2011 NHL season destined for Hollywood ending

2010-10-05T16:24:00.000-07:00

2010/2011 Projected NHL Rankings

Okay, before we begin, I will admit I'm an Oilers fan, who is living in hope. In the past off season, I've wished upon shooting stars, name dropped "Eberle" "Hall" and "Pjaarvi" in every argument possible, and done my best to forget what happened last season. I've waited 4 years for a playoff game, and an incredibly long time for even a meaningful game to be played at Rexall Place. While glorified magazines like "The Hockey News" have gone with their usual safe picks, going out on a limb to predict the Oilers will finish last in the Western Conference, I'm here to tell you the truth. As a matter of fact, it was only 1 year ago when pundits had the Copper and Blue in the running for the Northwest Division crown. A handful of injuries and uninspired play has changed many peoples' minds in thinking this team is not capable of going anywhere near the playoffs anytime soon.

This team will go as far as the young guys take them. It's a challenge they're more than capable of.

The sleeper pick this year is the Tampa Bay Lightning. Vinny Lecavilier and Martin St. Louis used to be household names around hockey circles. It was in the pre-lockout era that they won the Stanley Cup and were firmly establishing themselves as players that can carry a team. Since then, htey've become merely an afterthought. Being snubbed by the Olympic Team they've also been questioned whether they're in the twilight of their careers. This season will answer those questions as they bring the Lightning back to respectibility.

They may be a year or two away, but the Los Angeles Kings are a team ready to explode.

Chances are they won't get to the top but if I'm right I look like the a genius, get it wrong and I'm like 95% of prognosticators out there.

Most of these picks are likely going to cause you to shake your head, but then again so do results at season's end. Expect the unexpected. Expect teams who hung around in years past to take a tumble, teams like Calgary and Montreal. The goal of the playoffs still isn't realistic for the "Centre of the Universe"

Once all is analyzed to death, there is only one thing we can be sure of...unpredictability. This season is more wide open than any other season I've followed. Parity allowed teams like Colorado and Phoenix to make the unexpected jump to postseason play, while Calgary and Anaheim, superstars in tow, are on the outside looking in. Expect less 'surprise' teams this year than last, but there will be less of a gap between good and bad.

The Stanley Cup Final will not be one that brings ratings through the roof, but will feature two young exciting teams who are considered 1A teams in most circles.

The L.A. Kings will outlast the Buffalo Sabres in 6 games to capture their first Stanley Cup in team history. Bettman will be found clicking his heels, and thanking the heavens while pointing out to every critic just how brilliant he thinks he is.

And hey, if you want a history of how my predictions turn out, go down the page and you'll read in clear print "Chicago over Washington in 2009 Stanley Cup Final.

Hey, just saying.

Western Conference

1. Los Angeles- Infusion of youth finally will pay off as Kopitar and Co. ready to explode
2. Vancouver- Defensive upgrade, Franchise goalie, well-rounded offense has 'Nucks eying up top spot
3. Chicago- Major overhaul in offseason but core pieces still intact.
4. Detroit- Last year to make a run with Lidstrom in twilight of career.
5. San Jose- Will slip a little, but the Sharks know all too well what regular season success brings.
6. Colorado- No sophomore slump for this group of kids
7. Phoenix-The 'Yotes will continue to build on their strong foundation of youth, with or without support from hockey allergic residents of Glendale.
8. Edmonton- Need 3 rookies (Hall, Eberle, Pjaarvi) to play as advertised, Khabibulin to play even half of what he's capable of, and they need a four-leaf clover to help them over the injury catastropes of last season.
___________
9. St Louis-- Halak will narrowly miss another opportunity to carry his team through the playoffs.
10. Calgary-Recycled goods Jokinen and Tanguay isn't a recipe for bounce back year
11.Anaheim- Loss of Niedermayer will hurt. A lot.
12.Nashville- Low budget team will have trouble keeping up this year
13. Minnesota- Suffocating defensive style doesn't work nearly as well as it used to
14. Columbus- Defense core is green, goaltending a shot in the dark, and not enough offense to make up for it.
15. Dallas-Loss of Turco will be felt.

Easter Conference
1. Washington-Too fast, too skilled, too dynamic to not pile up the wins.
2. Buffalo- Ryan Miller and Tyler Myers carry a team that is also underrated offensively
3. New Jersey- Addition of Kovalchuk has them sitting pretty...10 years down the road? The jury is still out.
4. Boston- Goal-scoring was an issue last year, but the addtion of Seguin and Horton will help give them enough offense to get to the post-season.
5. Pittsburgh- Any team with the likes of Malkin and Crosby are a virtual lock to make the playoffs, but they're a little 'top heavy'. Supporting cast isn't as strong as it needs to be.
6. Tampa- Dynamic powerplay combined with Stamkos' push for 60+ goals and fresh new coaching has the Lightning as the darkhorse this year.
7. Philly-Lack of solid goaltending will make them slip a little in what is now a deep Eastern Conference.
8. Ottawa- Sergei Gonchar a huge lift to power play. An invigorated Jason Spezza can do wonders.
________
9. Montreal- Not quite good enough to be taken seriously, not quite bad enough to take a tumble
10. Carolina- Whether they make it or break it depends on if Cam Ward can turn things around after a bad year.
11. Toronto- Above average D, solid goaltending, but scoring will be a struggle
12. Atlanta- Life after Kovalchuk begins as team tries to forge new identity. This takes time.
13.NY Rangers- Bigger changes needed to move up standings. Those changes weren't made.
14. Florida- ten years and counting of non-playoff hockey for team in process of another massive rebuild
15. NY Islanders- Even franchise player John Tavares won't be able to right this ship just yet

Calder Trophy: Taylor Hall
Norris Trophy (top defenseman): Drew Doughty
Vezina Trophy (top goalie): Ryan Miller
Jack Adams Award (Top coach): Guy Boucher
Rocket Richard Trophy: Steven Stamkos
Art Ross Trophy: Sidney Crosby
Presidents Trophy (Regular Season Champion): Washington Capitals
Western Conference Champion: Los Angeles Kings
Eastern Conference Champion: Buffalo Sabres
Stanley Cup Champion Los Angeles Kings

Bleacher Buff

Pittsburgh Penguins win 2009 stanley cup

2009-06-16T08:56:00.000-07:00

Pittsburgh 2 Detroit 1

Penguins deliver Hollywood-esque performance in stunning Game 7 win over defending champs.

People jeered, laughed and guffawed in the faces of the Pittsburgh Penguins who going into Game 7 appeared desperate for any good will or positive thinking they could find. Different hotels, different path to the rink, different stalls, new pregame preparation. Amidst a game where no one was giving them a chance, the youthful energetic and resilient 2008 runner up relied on fate to get them through.

Score one for superstition.

As far as being superstitious I am one of the least among those who believe in it, but when the last second (and a long one at that) had finally ticked off the clock it was hard to argue with those who followed it through. What transpired in Game 7 was something you only saw in the movies, something that truly couldn't be made real without hours and hours of video editing, and an outlandish script deemed hardly believable by normal standards. This was supposed to be the reigning champions teaching the young kids down the block another harsh lesson on being a winner. As the previous three Game 7 underdog Cinderella's had taught us (Anaheim, Calgary, Edmonton) this penguins team, destined to win more cups in the future were expected to run out of gas and reload for next year, 3rd time was supposed to be the charm.

Virtually unbeatable at Joe Louis Arena with an 11-1 record, the Red Wings came into this game so confident of their chances they even checked a few days ahead of time to make sure the weather for their Stanley Cup parade would cooperate. But on friday night, the hockey gods appeared to be, just as majority of hockey fans were, tired of the winged wheel reigning supreme.

Brad Stuart gave up possibly his only turnover of the playoffs leading to Max Talbot's first goal to put the Pens up 1-0. It appeared as though their luck had run dry when Niklas Kronwall pasted Crosby into the boards, pinning his knee and sending him out of the game. All that was left was the hope that the path he took to the rink, the different hotel, the new way he ate his food, and his new dressing room stall would carry him through. Just minutes later, the hockey gods smiled down on the bad fortune as Talbot struck again, taking advantage of an awfully played angle by Chris Osgood. Many Pens fans waited anxiously for the time to come when the wings would explode for three goals in the same way that made them Stanley cup champions the year before.

With five minutes to go and up 2-1, Niklas Kronwall, let go a rocket from the right point that after deflecting off of two bodies appeared destined for the back of the net. An inch or two either way and the game would have been tied 2-2. The crossbar as if on cue, reach out and snatched the puck, deflecting it out of harms way

With 1 second left in the season, Nick Lidstrom pounced on a rebound and stared a wide open cage in the face only to have Fleury come across and rob him in a save for the ages. When the buzzer had finally sounded the relief on the faces on the fearless five that we knew had been bottled up inside of them...on the faces of Fleury, Crosby, Malkin, Staal and Letang, was obvious.

Through two months of playoffs they had played unfazed, undaunted, through the pressure as though this was nothing out of the ordinary. But superstitious is by definition done because of an irrational fear of what is unknown.

Friday night proved their fear wasn't irrational and that superstition may not at all be a myth. Those who were laughing at their tactics going into the big game we're now looking at the face of a champion.

*****

Sour Grapes?

For a moment I could understand how Kris Draper felt. In fact, I had the same feeling back in 4th grade when my favored Sharks lost in the prestigious Elizabeth school inter-mural floor hockey final. Filled with sadness and anger, I did what most 4th graders did at that time and put on my best pouty face, having no idea I was doing a first rate Kris Draper impression.

In a classic 'I'm not getting my own way' moment the four time Stanley cup champion could not bear to see a kid fulfill his lifelong dream and approach it graciously, instead accusing Crosby of taking too long before going over to the handshake line. Lost in this momentary 'snub' was the fact that Draper's teammate Chris Chelios who not only didn't shake hands with the captain two years ago but left the ice entirely without shaking a single hand. Sidney later came to the media and reiterated that there was no snub intended. I couldn't help but notice that Crosby never mentioned he would shake Lidstrom's hand the next time they end a playoff series. Detroit would have to get to the final again. Looking into the victorious eyes of King Sid, Draper knew he was passing the torch, that this may very well be his last chance to shine in the spotlight of the stanley cup final, while in the background you could hear the hum of "We are the champions, no time for losers" playing mercilessly in the background.
***

It's never too early to make prognostications for the 2010 Stanley Cup Final. For those of you who would rather skip the hype, excitement and long drawn out eight months of hockey, here's a brief look ahead at what to expect for the 2010 season.

Another star will shine, but this time it's Alexander the Great's chance in the spotlight. Spurred on by another 50 goal and dazzling playoff performance Ovechkin will carry his team to it's first Stanley Cup berth since 1998. This drive will fall short to a team who much like the Pittsburgh Penguins have risen from the dead of the NHL basement and loaded up on high draft picks. They made an all- star goalie look like a Beer League brother-in-law caught in a mid-life crisis, they plaed keep-away with a tired and slow Calagry Flames team, and lost to the defending champions.

You heard it here first

Chicago over Washington in 7 games crowning the Chicago Blackhawks as 2010 Stanley Cup champions.

BleacherBuff

Stanley Cup Prediction

2009-04-17T13:05:00.000-07:00

PLEASE NOTE: WHEN THE FOLLOWING OCCURS IN DRAMATIC FASHION, BLAME CANNOT GO SOLELY ON BLEACHERBUFF EVEN IF HE DID RUIN IT FOR YOU, AFTER ALL, SOMEONE HAS TO GET IT RIGHT.

YELLOW AND BLACK WITH A LITTLE SILVER LINING

Bruins will take Canucks in 6 games to win first Stanley Cup since 1972

Motor city repeat? Forget it. A shark revival?...not a chance. Canadian soil? Not this time around. Come June 2009 Boston's most raging party will no longer have anything to do with crumpets and tea as one of the NHL's 'Original Six' teams will return to their original ways, erasing 27 years of second fiddle.

Unlike the extremely boring panel of TSN analysts who went with the safe pick of the Detroit Red Wings defending their title, I balked and chose to go with a team that no one at the start of the year would have even considered. After all, what good is it if the Wings cast of veterans secure another (snooze) championship? The Boston Bruins are a team that has come out of nowhere, from zero to hero. In a world where rock bottom means the only place to go is up the Boston Bruins went straight to the top. They are a team built for the post-season complete with a lineup full of physical behemoths with more grit than a dentist's worst nightmare. Captain 'Big Z' Zdeno Chara, a player spurned by the Ottawa Senators, has established himself as a bona fide leader and intimidating prescence at the blueline. Phil Kessel, one year removed from a battle with cancer is finally starting to meet his sky high potential. Blake Wheeler was let go by the Phoenix Coyotes, a team who had lost patience with his slow development, but has since then came charging out of gates as a possible Calder candidate. Combine that with steady hands from Milan Lucic, Patrice Bergeron Marc Savard and the newly signed Tim Thomas and you're looking at a team that looks head and shoulders above a physically challenged Eastern Conference. It is a team who in spite of their supposed smooth ride to the top of the Eastern Conference have overcome their fair share of adversity, something that will serve them well when they begin their first round series with the Montreal Canadiens.

Rewind back to Dec. 1 2005, possibly the darkest day in Bruins history. Then GM Mike O'Connell (who was fired shortly afterward) trade franchise cornerstone Joe Thornton to the San Jose Sharks for Marco Sturm, Brad Stuart and Wayne Primeau, three average to slightly above average players, none who are still with the team. To overcome that kind of epic failure shows the smart drafting along with shrewd trading

This shot at a title ranks Boston among the worlds elite in the world of sports. The 'B's had not long ago worked their way down to 'back page' status taking backstage to the dynasty proven New England Patriots and the 2008 NBA champion Celtics. Being at a Bruins game usually meant you pulled some strings and found yourself a couple of the many free tickets going around in circulation that night, but now its cool to be fan again and the Bruins are a hot ticket in town. Winning a championship woud bewhat the NHL is waiting for and needs.

Many Leafs fans will cringe at my pick for Western Conference Champion, but may just enjoy that fact that Sundin will have the Stanley Cup taken away right in front of his eyes. For the 4th time in 5 years Canada's team will take another Cinderella ride to the finals only to fall short to a less banged up Eastern Conference opponent in the Bruins. Vancouver will take the Blues in 5, knock off the Wings in 7 and beat the Flames in 7 in a physically punishing series. Riding the backs of them will most certainly be Roberto Luongo, the Sedins' and Mat Sundin who won't have much left in the tank after that. Not bad for a franchise who has only made to the finals once in their 38 year history. The feel good story however will be written by a team who is in pursuit of gaining back the rich tradition they once had, on the backs of a kid who never thought he'd live past the year, on a Slovakian who never thought he'd ever get another chance and on a band of fans who are once again proud to wear the yellow and black.

Trade Deadline Analysis

2009-03-05T09:50:00.000-08:00

2 big trades, same big problem in Oil Country

Oilers trade underachieving forward Erik Cole to Carolina, acquire Kotalik, O'Sullivan but are too content where they are to be taken seriously as cup contenders

As has been mentioned far to many times, it has been clearly stated the Oilers were, at the deadline, looking for a winger to play with Ales Hemsky. GM Steve Tambellini not only did that, but in acquiring Ales Kotalik from the Buffalo Sabres, found what appears to be a clone of the slick winger. Same name. Same homeland. same style of play as they attempt to mesh their styles on the top line tonight in a clash with the Ottawa Senators (7:30 pm ET). Tambellini also dipped further into the trade waters nabbing Patrick O'Sullivan from the L.A. Kings for disgruntled forward Erik Cole.

Though these moves improve the team as a whole, it will not give the team a legitimate shot for the Stanley Cup. Slipping into 8th spot

Tambellini let everyone know that he wouldn't part with his youth core...which begs me to question, how do you justify three second line quality players who have combined for 29 goals this season?.

Sam Gagner, considered to be one of the most up and coming players in the game has taken a hard fall, amassing 23 points in 57 games. While the horridly low numbers speak for themselves Coach Craig MacTavish has given a vote of confidence to the 19 year old, saying he is happy with the way he is playing. If this is what Oil Country's future is, we're in deep trouble. After all, isnt the object of the game to score goals?

Robert Nilsson, a crafty winger who, next to Hemsky is considered the Oilers most skilled forward is hard pressed to beat out enforcer Zach Stortini in goal output. Looking at his stats, you'd wonder if you were checking the stat sheet for a 4th line grinder. Pointless in his last 7 games, Nilsson has been shown to the press box the last couple of games and it seems pointless to continue to hold onto hope that this kid will break out.

Dustin Penner, who was looked at to be the answer to Hemsky's problems has been nothing short of a problem in Oil country, coming to camp out of shape, having been called out twice in the media by his coach while showing a lacklustre work ethic. One embarrassing call-out by the coach should have been enough, but when Penner's play started to diminish a second time all the coach did was call him out a second time and leave it at that.

Not all the fault can go to the coach, and the point of this is not to make this a blame game but it is with this standard of mediocrity that has the Oilers in a mediocre position fighting for their playoff lives season after season. The player personnel can change and improve 'on paper' all it wants but so long as the 'good enough' attitude exists the copper and blue aren't going anywhere

"If we can get on a 4 or 5 game winning streak and then go .500 the rest of the way we should get in"MacTavish mused as he pondered 1-0 loss to the Blue Jackets, which had its share of puthetic effort.

If MacTavish, or anyone in the NHL had this theory on their way up to the NHL ranks, they would not have had a chance to be where they are today. These kinds of goals set by the coach will only result in a bevy of underachieving players looking to cut corners left right and centre. The expectations have been met. The results are just as everyone had envisioned they would be.

Hovering around .500, head above water. Just happy to have a chance.

At the end of the day one player was shown the door when many others should have also been given their walking papers. If things don't change, the pink slip will be handed to the man who didn't have a notion to hand it to his peers in the first place.

BleacherBuff

2009-01-08T19:02:00.000-08:00

Making something out of nothing

How long can the media ride this lame, stale, story out? Ask again in 6 months....it appears Mats Sundin is still trying to decide.

After 384 reports that Mats Sundin has spoken with the Montreal Canadiens, New York Rangers, and Detroit Redwings, 761 reports that he's still making a decision about a comeback and 544 reports on what he's been doing in his life i will say this in the least irritated way possible.

Time to give it a rest.

It was the most hyped comeback since Mario Lemeuix, even though Mats Sundin, fresh off six months of indecision, really had never left at all. Out of shape and out of words to say why it took him so stinking long to make a career choice, he stepped onto the Rexall Place playing surface for his first shift and lasted about as long as it should have taken to make his 'beaten to death' drawn out decision.

5 seconds.

As the game progressed, you could see the swede rise above the rust and contribute one shot on goal...quickly justifying about $500,000 of the $10, 000, 000 he will make this season. In the following 25 minutes, it appeared he was having a tough time deciding when his next shift should be.

Via a sound bit placed in Sundin's under-used equipment, let us go straight to what is (possibly?) a standard player-coach conversation..

Vigneult: Uh Mats its your turn, go out and make us proud
Sundin: Not ready yet coach
Vigneault: When is your expected return going to be?
Sundin: well considering that shift was about 5 seconds, i'm feeling a little winded...so...does Feb. 12th sound good to you?
Vigneault: Hey as long as it gets us to June, then do what you like bud... Would you like another pilsner with that? OH for MATS SAKE who rolled up the red carpet....?"
Sundin: forget the red carpet coach, i wanna be a team player...just give me a signing bonus and i promise ill be back by the 3rd period.

Oilers fans appropriately booed him each time he touched the puck. He was a player who spurned the Leafs a chance to stock up on the future, a player whose every action, move, step, laugh, was recorded by way the "Sundin Cam" Refusing to let the Toronto Maple Leafs be a trader, he quickly showed himself a traitor, eyeing up oodles of cash over loyalty and common sense. But through it all the media jumped on this story like it had secrets to immortaility, like it actually had what it sorely lacked...intrigue.

Consider this day by day report of the much deserved attention the Swede sensation has received:

November 7th- Sundin talks with agent
Nov. 8th-Sundin sleeps in until 11:30
Nov. 10th- Semi-retired Sundin considers full time retirement.
November 18th-returns from week vacation in Bahamas to declare he's far from making a decision
December 5th- Breaking news: Sundin took 14 minutes to walk to the corner store today, further showing signs his foot speed is no longer at NHL level.

Oh and I suppose he probably talked to his girlfriend, read a book, taped his hockey stick and did everything possible except the one thing everyone was waiting for him to do... make a choice.

This spring, Mats Sundin will again be a hero, Toronto media and hungry, attention driven journalists will be hoping that this story will play out in cinderella fashion. In a dream world, he will score 30 goals in the regular season, followed by 15 more in the postseason en route to carrying the Vancouver Canucks to their first ever Stanley Cup championship. 90% of fans will jump on the bandwagon for a player who never believed in being a rental player, and a team who fell for one of the most overrated sideshows the NHL has ever seen.

When spring comes around....I won't be one of them.

BleacherBuff

Jason Clermont signs with Riders

2008-12-14T18:18:00.000-08:00

THE CAT CAME BACK

Hometown hero Jason Clermont declares 'the place to be from' as 'the place to be' by signing with the Riders.

Like that business partner who bailed at last minute to join the competition, or that awfully questionable girl you dated who then dumped you after realizing good looks...Jason Clermont was for seven tantalizing seasons of teasing, trickery and touchdowns, the one that got away. It may well be the only signing GM Eric Tillman will ever get consensus agreement on so he may as well enjoy the fact he's made up for not one...but two gaffes.

" you familiar with Jeff Foxworthy and 'you might be a redneck' jokes? The red coiffed GM deadpanned, "well you might be an idiot if you passed on Jason Clermont twice. And we did."

Consider him third time lucky.

The ultra tough Regina born receiver, famous for taking hellacious hit after hellacious hit, will bring that gusto and needed size (6'2, 227 Lbs.) to an already deep receiving corp. In fact, he seems to be the perfect epidemic to a team that seemed to acquire injuries just by merely existing.

This deal comes with a particular amount of irony. While 98% of fans will speculate and be 98% right that the reason Clermont signed was all about coming home, there are some other underlying reasons. Back in 2006, Clermont faced the option of resigning with the B.C. Lions or going elsewhere, 'elsewhere' likely being Saskatchewan. Backed by unpopular demand, he signed 2 years plus an option to stay on with the Lions, choosing to continue splitting his life into many places and many ways while playing for a winner. The Lions were fresh off a Grey Cup championship, the Riders meanwhile were mired in a 17 year Grey Cup drought. Since then, the Riders won the crown in 2007 and have established themselves as a consistent force in the league.

In what became a daily facebook beak-off, one Lions fan remarked to me after Clermont decided to stay in BC ...

"I see Clermont signed for two years plus an option...I guess he really wants to win"

The comment had left a bitter taste in my mouth. Could Clermont be spurning the Riders' for greener pastures...just as many other established stars had done? The truth hurt.

The next two years as previously mentioned, tell the tale. This signing is a dawning of a new day, an indication of a new era, an era of winning, of great expectation and reputation. Something the Green and White have not been able to experience since the golden sixties. Jason Clermont came here not only for the home-cooked meals, family time, a permanent bed to sleep in to go along with hometown lore. He came here to be a winner.

If Clermont wanted solely to be with his family, and live in Regina where he works in the offseason, he wouldve been just as well off going full time as a Realtor at Royal LePage where he's employed. Professional athletes are driven by a desire to win. Completing a 7 year stint with he showed where his true colours were. Where he was born to play. The truth has never felt this good.

The Riders' receiving corp now looks better than ever along with their new addition, they sport the likes of Andy Fantuz, DJ Flick, Weston Dressler, Chris Getzlaf, Matt Dominguez and Adarius Bowman. With free agency looming for Flick, expect him to be the odd man out. Clermont was the piece in the puzzle Rider fans have been waiting for

"I wanted to be respectful and not try to leverage an offer between two teams and try to play them that way. I didnt want to put any undue pressure on any team"

In this case, no pressure was needed.

Living in a dream world

2008-09-08T20:31:00.000-07:00

It's 6:15 p.m. and in desperation I try to relay the events of my last dream to those around the dinner table...the table discussion has been on the dull side tonight and I try my best to spice things up.....

It all starts with the Riders' receiving corps, but there's a catch (no pun intended....or maybe intended but failed miserably and not able to admit it), I'm sitting watching the pre-game run out of the tunnel and as if on cue I see nothing more than a bunch of baby faced awkward youngsters running to and fro, keep in mind, these were not even the backup receivers of the Green and White, they were the backups of the backups.

To explain my state of sypnosis further, I'd like to tell you about a larger than life football loving friend i once had. His name was Chuck. Chuck was resilient, so resilient in fact he even had the gumption to try out for the football team as an O-Lineman. Unfortunately all things pointed toward the fact that though he had the size to be a successful blocker, he was nothing more than fat, a stationary blob of humanity standing ready. My coach, did not have the heart to cut the lad from the team and therefore mercifully made him 3rd string O-lineman, or in other words the guy who's not as good as the guy who's not good enough. The Riders' faced a cellar dwelling team with a 3rd string of receivers with the likes of Rob Bagg? Gerron Walker? Vincent Marshall?

Awakening in a state of panic i glance over at my clock

1:10 a.m.

first down 10 to go...okay we're good...

Rolling over I fall back to sleep waiting for what's next....

Next thing i know a score clock is staring me straight in the face....the clock reads

Winnipeg 31 Saskatchewan 14

At this time, I am now in semi-conciousness, very much aware of my my mother's futile hollers to awake me...."hold on a sec." I mumble back....I wanna stay in this a little while longer...things are apt to change. Floating back to my spot at Canad Inns Stadium, i arrive just in time to see Micheal Bishop, hands in face, throw a 60 yard rocket to Weston Dressler. outrunning coverage, Dressler leaps up and with outstretched hands reels the ball in. This could be the start of something big.

Following a rare two and out by the Bombers' offence the ball is back in the Rider's hands. A few plays later the ball is spotted at the Bombers 42 yard line. As if aligning the stars twice, Mike Bishop lays up a prayer for Marshall....sandwiched between two defenders, he hauls the ball in. The game is within reach....the rest is a blur.....another 2 and out somewhere in there.....a game tying field goal with 34 seconds left....possibility of overtime....possibility of oversleeping....

It was then and there that my head started spinning....as though hurtling through a never ending tunnel dizziness comes over me....and in one last instant two images flash through my mind. One is of a baby faced rookie by the name of Walker with a blood curdling laugh jumping up and snagging the ball out of nowhere just in time....the next moment I am being snapped back, held upright then kicked through two goal posts by a leg that looked similar to Luca Congi's.....suspended in mid air I let out one big scream... coming out more like a overjoyed cheer.

Glancing over at my alarm clock I stare in disbelief

The clock reads 0:00

It was then and there that i realized the power went out. No time left on the clock.

Scrambling to find out the real time I resort to the computer to find out and notice a notification on the right hand side of my screen

Notice reads: Riders' score 20 unanswered points in come from behind victory over Bombers.

Fingers firmly clenched around my skin, I give myself the hardest pinch i've ever given myself in my entire life hoping to float back into reality...It was then i realized that reality is here.

My Riders' really did pull it off

They really are in first place.

They really are that resilliant

I really am living the dream

BleacherBuff

The Rider Beat #2

2008-08-18T18:36:00.000-07:00

Jon Massey's Blog

Prior three weeks Posting Summary as follows:

July 22 - BLANK

As I write this I look at the gap between my last two posts like it's the same gaping hole between Smilin' Hank Burris's front chicklets. For this I feel shame, shame for the fact that as my Riders' have brought it all on the football field, I did not put it all out on Blogger.com and give it my all.

As the words hit this page a little voice in the back of my head beckons me to go play Madden instead....become a keyboard tapping quarterback instead of just musing about it. Have a nap, flex that bulging index finger and take names. Posting these entries have proven one thing...if you want something done ask Jon Massey to do a blog entry and give him your errand at the same time. Since i began writing this blog entry I have read Sports Illustrated, done my laundry, taken out the trash, contemplated, procrastinated and done everything else imaginable
It is in this same behavior that sees the collapse of 3rd down conversions, the collapse of teammates, teams, big games, and big organizations. For if every time i put off posting my thoughts Marcus Crandell decided not to take the snap we'd all be staring an 0-7 record in the face.

When the Saskatchewan Roughriders play a football game, their mind is on one thing. The next down, the next hit, the next huddle, the next movement of their opponent. This is a huge reason why they are atop the CFL standings at 6-1. Game #7 in spite of the loss, proved that profoundly. Down 30-4 in the latter stages of the 3rd quarter, the fans, who hadn't played a down all night were ready to pack it in and drive their bruised battered hearts of pride back home with them. The same was expected of the men in green who with a perfect record had the perfect excuse to look more forward to their post game meal than the final 15 minutes of orderly torture comparable to a walk through the Mendell Art Gallery.

On the very first play of the 4th quarter Marcus Crandell laid up a prayer for Adarius Bowman. ricocheting off the fingertips of two defenders, the pigskin landed safely in his arms, making it a 19 point lead, flattering up the scorecard a little.

Now there is one sole reason why the Riders are in 1st place today. When the going was deemed hopeless, the "deemed hopeless" kept going. After a quick two and out, Chris Szarka capped a blocked field goal with a determined plunge in the endzone to make it 30-18. This team resembled that brainiac that stays late after school to get ahead, like that 22 year old in his eigth year of high school, like that blogger that tries hopelessly to come up with good analogies (that's it...im done....no seriously).

with 2:45 remaining pint sized receiver Weston Dressler hauled in a pass between two defenders to narrow the margin to 30-25. It would not be enough but a message was sent. Just as Wes Cates uttered in week two "if you're not ready to play for 60 minutes your not ready to play the Riders'" those same words echo loud and clear through the prairies.

Going into the last ten weeks of the season, at 6-1 they must not become complacent, cocky and overconfident. They can't do as I have done and let three weeks go by without nothing to show for it. They must continue doing what they are doing.....

Pondering these things...I look warily at the Riders' game 7 result and hastily at my last two post dates. Eyes lighting up i find we have something in common.

Jon Massey's Blog

Prior three weeks Posting Summary as follows:

July 22 - August 18

In the end, the result may have ended up a dud, but the gap just got a lot narrower.

The Rider Beat

2008-07-22T19:33:00.000-07:00

There are some things in this life that seem like a sure thing. One sure thing we all know is that death will do us part, another is that those GST and PST taxes will always distort our price tags 'till the day this world ends. Tiger will always win golf. Gretzky will always reign supreme in hockey. Mike Tyson will reign supreme in idiocy. Donald Trump will always have lousy hair, Pierre McGuire will always be a lousy analyst. Osama Bin Laden will always have ugly intentions. Rosie O'Donnell will always have ugly (pick a body part, any body part).

One door closes, another opens.
For every bad thing that happens something good will happen.

But then the list ends and is deemed false and inaccurate. At the bottom of the list lies one point that for so many years became inexplainably predictable.

Sure Thing #381 The Riders will always pull defeat out of the jaws of victory.

Based on the clutch performance of the Green Machine in 2008, nothing could be further from the truth. Nothing could be further from a sure thing.

With 1:45 left in the Riders-Ti-cats week three tilt, Darian Durant was faced with the task in his first CFL start of marching the Riders down the field and erasing a 28-27 deficit. Dumping a short pass off to Dressler, he left the rest in the speedy receivers hands who would then dodge and weave his way to what looked like paydirt.
Then defeat came out and flexed its bulging muscles.

In a sudden turn of events, the last defender chasing Dressler in one last attempt swiped at the ball and popped it loose at the one yard line. The pigskin would then roll through the end zone and out the other side. Ivor Wynne erupted and we all thought the same thing. Hamilton ball. Tiger Cat win. 30,000+ go home happy while Rider Nation shakes their head at another twist of ugly fate.

Fate would have none of it.

Sighting the rule book on a challenge call by Ken Miller, the refs ruled that the ball was indeed fumbled but in the fine print it reads plain and clear, if the ball is knocked out of bounds, the team in possession receives the ball. The Riders would take over on the 1 yard line and punch it in. The rest is history.

Fast track to Saturday night at Mosaic Stadium.

The Saskatchewan Roughriders at 3-0 are still without blemish. But with a 3rd string QB at the helm for a 2nd straight game facing a solid Montral Alouettes squad, it looks like it could be one of those "wake-up call" games. The Riders have not won 4 times in a row to start a season since 1970...since before Tiger was born, before Gretzky was even in peewee hockey.

After an astoundingly entertaining 56 minutes sporting six lead changes, Darian Durant took over the controls down 33-25 with just under four minutes to go. Spotting Matt Dominguez in single coverage, he laid one up for #88. Marc Estell and Dominguez both reached for the ball only to grab for it at the same instant coming down with it at the same time, both convinced that they had the ball.

In past years, in past decades rather, the Roughriders would have prepared for the worst and got it...but sighting the rulebook once again the officials ruled that when two players come down with the ball at the same time possession goes to the receiver. That would be the call that would fuel the Riders to another fourth quarter comeback and eventual 41-33 victory.

This past summer, a series of bold moves by Eric Tillman caused a massive spectacle among Rider faithful. Many questioned that E.T. had fumbled the ball and that the Riders had lost possession as West Division favourites. Two months later they have 1st place in their possession and have everyone eating crow all over the country.

Which forced me to contemplate....Tiger wasn't always top golfer, Gretzky at one time didn't reign supreme in hockey. Mike Tyson at one time was innocent and Donald Trump once owned a hairbrush.

The Riders are in first, gas prices keep rising, salaries keep rising, standards are going lower and lower.

Upon pondering this, i take my list and scratch #2 to #400 off my list, coming to the realization that there really is only thing in this world that is predictable, counted on, inevitable....

Sure thing #1 Nothing in this life is a sure thing.

BleacherBuff

On Enemy Grounds

2008-07-15T12:54:00.001-07:00

This next account is based on my experience in the deep dark depths of BC Place, witnessing the eventual 26-16 Rider victory over the reeling Lions. In theory, I would like you to believe it's a story of great courage, one of overcoming the battlefields of the opposition to witness a great victory. I had come into this a little shaky, wondering if, just as the Lions are now deep down under at 0-2, I would also be deep down under, six feet to approximate measurements.

What I found was that the people of B.C. follow a similar formula after a game result.

After a loss...

"Awww they lost...oh well, peace to the world, peace to my Sask. brothers, to humankind...."

After a win...

Ditto.

Faced with the same situation as a Lions fan at Taylor Field, show one glimmer of orange paint and take out that paper and recite your last words. If your team wins there is no time for celebration. Your post game brouhaha will consist of running for cover, hands over face, protection over every body part you can possibly protect amid a public outrage.

Shades and flashes of these moments rushed through my mind as i took the final steps out the door into a journey i may never come back from.

Knowing the consequences, I venture into a den full of angry, revengeful, hungry Lions...things could get messy.

***********

Complete with my FANTUZ jersey and "2007 Grey Cup Champions" hat (important point made) I head off the next few blocks down to the Sky train. Secretly i wanted people to balk and sneer, jeer and spit on my face, but for the first five blocks no one so much as even noticed i was there. Quite insulted was I. This was no bottom of the barrel Salvation Army green rag. Stopping just outside a Pizza Place, there came the first encounter with a group of deceived Rider decenters. Out walked the first, orange bandanna shining on his head, sporting a cocky strut. Within one swift motion our eyes met, we stared each other down like Harry stared down Voldemort, we examined each other like we had M.D. attached to our name, and we judged each other from head to toe. What followed was a look so disapproving it would put great grandmother, grandmother and mother all to shame. Out came Lions fan #2. Young, vulnerable and evidently wowed by the fact a real Rider fan in living colour was sitting a few feet away. He proceeded to whisper into his friends ear, like a 3 year old son to his father.

"Psst, you see that? A Rider fan".. he he haw haw snicker snicker *Stare* look away cooly, do five times in next thirty seconds but fail miserably.
"Yea, guffaw guffaw, is that FANTUZ?"

As i walked past them towards the Sky train, the stares of three helpless beings nearly burned the back of my head. Off in the distance they could see a great name etched into that jersey. A name they so desperately wanted on their side. For each step I took I couldn't help but feel sorry for them as they stood watching.....

Wishing their lives away.....

**********

In my day to day life I don't usually have a knack for losing things but the paranoia of doing so drives me to great depths of insanity. I had left my brother Craig a non-sports enthusiast with the coveted tickets and don't get me wrong i trusted he would not lose them, but giving him tickets to a sporting event and saying "don't lose them" would like being given tickets to the horticulture show and being told "guard these with your life." Fact is, having a couple of environmentally friendly tickets would not mean much to me and neither, or so i was convinced, would the Rider tickets to Craig. My paranoia lasted until the final rip was ripped off the tickets. We proceeded to walk a few steps and then I ask...

"so where are we sitting again?"
I fish for my ticket and find nothing there
"Oh don't worry you won't need it now anyway"

With hesitation, I head to my seat. After the national anthem a security guard comes up to us and asks us if we have our tickets.
"Yup right here" said my brother, as I look desperately for a place to hide.
"what about you?"
"Uh, i don't seem to have it right now"
"I'm gonna have to ask you to leave if you don't have your ticket"

On the outside I was cool as a cucumber, but on the inside I was screaming WHAT!!! NO!!! CALL MOMMA!!!! SUE SECURITY!!!!

then in a twist of fate, the words rang out like a beautiful melody, like Mozart...

"Just kidding here it is, hang onto it this time"

The adrenaline rush I came off of I'm convinced was greater than one Buck Pierce and Marcus Crandell will ever feel. I felt like a beat up d-lineman, a bashed running back and a concussed quarterback all at the same time...

And kickoff hadn't even come yet.

*********THE GAME**********

The game, unlike the pre-game events started off slowly. In a defensive struggle (or struggling offences) The Riders held a 3-1 lead after the first quarter off an 11 yard, my grandma could've made that one, type of field goal and a single by Paul McCallum. Anointed Rider QB Marcus Crandell went down with a hamstring injury of which i had failed to notice until a couple minutes into the 2nd quarter, leading me into wonderment of why the Riders were treating this like a pre season game and playing all of their qb's. After the Lions got off to an 8-3 lead with a 1 yard run by Joe Smith, Riders' second stringer Steven Jyles would step in and connect on a 10 yard pass play with Andy Fantuz one play after a B.C. fumble to launch them to an 10-8 lead. But in a turn of fortunes Jyles would then lay it up for two interceptions, one of which would lead to another Joe Smith TD the other way to make it a 15-10 game for B.C. Now, at this point I had still failed to figure out who was behind centre, as I continued to in my head have a hate on for Marcus Crandell.

It was once said "it is better to remain silent and be thought of an idiot, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt" I knew going in that I was in Lions fans eyes a real idiot, fact is i'm (usually) a pretty intelligent guy...but the truth was i was pretty much an idiot for not knowing who my own quarterback, but i never opened my mouth and yelled "GET OFF THE FIELD CRANDELL"...some things may be better left unsaid.

THE FINAL RESULT

Now in most cases, i'm a complete introvert, i'm an introvert on the street, at home, at school at work, wherever i am i've got introvert written all over me....but there is one exception. At Rider games, the passion of the Green and White spurs me on to become the most confident guy out there....and how could I not be. I was witnessing Wes Cates give a pounding to a defense that didn't have an answer for him or the rest of the team. From Lance Frazier's INT to put the lasting blow in 33,000 Lions fans hopes, to the hard running by Cates...i posed like no one was watching, screamed like no one was listening and cheered like, well, like the rest of the Riders fans did, like they were drunk, cuz they were. But i was not...no it was not liquid courage it was Rider Pride deep inside.

The final gun had sounded and looking up on the score clock I read the most beautiful words ever seen.

Saskatchewan 26 B.C. 16

By then approximately 3/4 of the fans had already left and were already at home having given up, so as i made my way down to the concourse I was as confident as ever of getting out of there without confrontation. Slapping hands with complete strangers, I headed over to the front gate. Here came up a lad dressed in normal street clothes.

"Hey Sweet!!! Look!!! A Rider Fan!!!!!"
extending his hand for a high five, i made a drastic assumption and held nothing back...
"OOOOH YEAH!!!!!" i yelled, fully expecting a similar response. In one swift motion i swung my hand at his, but then as though leaving me hanging he took his hand away.
"NOOOO"
And there i was left with one hand extended into thin air, looking like a dumb ox, while his friend stood beside blowing his horn into my face. People around me laughed and smirked looking for every last bit of entertainment they could muster, acting as though the reality of their team having lost hadn't actually happened

In one quick motion I moved my hand to my left facing B.C. Place, dropped three fingers and pointed at the scoreboard whose neon lights were still shining bright in the sky. For a moment I was laughing with them, but within one blink of an eye the laughing stopped, people stared in unbelief. Turning away, I thought back to a time when i was at a Rider game which ended the wrong way. I thought back to a time when I would wander helplessly to the exits looking for something entertaining and in the same lame way as these fans tried, I also tried hard to satisfy my amusement. But tonight something was different.

Tonight, I found out that the funniest joke of all was glowing high and bright for everyone to see.

BleacherBuff

Eskimoes-Riders Game #1 Commentary

2008-07-03T21:25:00.000-07:00

As Ken Miller, Marcus Crandell, Eric Tillman and the rest of the Rider contingent basked in the glory of their first victory of the 2008 season, another ex- Rider was going deep into his post game 'meal'.

Somewhere out there Fred Perry was eating crow.

The gold teethed defensive line cog who had previously been sent out of Riderville to the shagrin of rider priders all over, decided unwisely to add fuel to the ever burning fire of motivation started ,ironically by fans of the green and white who had doubts heading into the season.

"He doesn't have a strong arm, he's not very fast, I just think he's a second string QB"

The man Perry was referring to was none other than former Grey Cup MVP and former teammate no less Marcus Crandell, and as fast as you can say Saskatchewan, the love felt for the cast-off was no longer deep within the depths of prairie lore.

Backtrack my friends to many other players fans have come to love in the past.

Henry Burris was one of the most lovable, popular and vibrant players this franchise had come across. His gurantees and promises, the heart and soul he put into the organization for the short time he was here became endearing. Then he stuck his foot into the mouth he so subtly smiled with and walked. Fans became angered and the Riders used it as motivation to knock 'Smilin' Hank' and the Stamps from post-season play two years in a row.

Paul McCallum was the longest serving Roughrider up to the 2005 season and had kicked many winning field goals through the years, winning the hearts of many fans along the way. Due to an infraction at the end of the season, when BC came calling he gladly went. Whether deserved or not, Rider fans sparked an outrage. It would be two years later that the Green Machine would get the revenge they wanted in defeating the Lions in the West Final.

If Freddy had only known what he had done...

Perhaps it was when Crandell put one up over the outstretched arms of Perry into the hands of Wes Cates for the go-ahead major in the 4th quarter, or the severely weak arm he used to bomb a 73 yard strike to newcomer Adarius Bowman to seal the win, one thing was apparent, his attempt to rattle the pivot backfired worse than Hilary Clinton's speech on her Afghanistan exploration.

The team was not spectacular, but got it done when they needed to, as was apparent when former Grey Cup MVP James Johnson set off the fireworks with a 2nd quarter Interception...wait a minute...Grey Cup MVP?

oh and Fred one more thing?...

James Johnson...pretty darn good 2nd stringer too...isn't he?

2008 Canadian Football League Commentary

2008-06-24T19:02:00.000-07:00

In 2007, the Saskatchewan Roughriders brought together a province so desperate for winning, desperate for positive vibes, a province that had a team consistently putting together as bad a performance( in the 80's and 90's in particular) as the fans performance on the crop field during the drought years. The '07 edition was the epitome of what Saskatchewan wants to be and is ultimately becoming. The little engine that could, a train fueled by its naysayers, yet supported and kept together by those who shun them when they fall.

So now the question herein lies....

Can the Green machine repeat and match the Cinderella season of yesteryear?

Ironically, it is after a season of magical proportions that the Rider brass will have to brace themselves for the biggest onslaught of negativity and outrage this team has ever seen. Lose, and Eric Tillman's head will be wanted at the guillotine, win and he'll be next in line for Premier. Everything will be scrutinized, analyzed, pointed out and celebrated at even a higher level than it was before. There's only one good reason for that....

Before 2007 Rider Nation was driven by desperation
In 2008 Rider Nation will be driven by expectation.

If I were to look at the two and choose, the first one may be a whole lot easier to take. Saskatchewan is laden with fans who go by a certain formula when cheering on the team. If they win, that fan is right in there slapping hands, singing songs and drinking all the beer, with the occasional wisecrack of "they actually won for once, that's a first." If they lose the reaction is stone faced. Change of emotions after a loss on the prairies is 'SO ten years ago'. Pre 2007, fans would just shrug and say "tell me something I can't predict." This is what was so sweet about 2007. It took the nonchalance out of that lukewarm fan and got them thinking "hey we might actually have something going here"

2008 is the year where all the Rider jokes can be made history, all the guffaws about three Grey Cups in 90 odd years can be put on the back burner. Many fans (Rider fans included) are quick to conclude that it will be another 18 years at least before they get another chance at glory, but deep down they know that this team, as Tillman put it, may very well be "a better team than last year's." It has more depth, more talent and even more character. This team could be the mirror image of those geeky schoolgirls you avoided at all costs during your high school years, they may not look pretty , but give them time and you'll be filled with regret of what you thought before.

The Riders have what it takes to be crowned the first defending champions since the '96-'97 Argo teams(no this is not a prediction) and if you look into each position, it makes it more clear to see that they may just pull it off (Yes, EVEN without aging vets' Hunt, Holmes, Perry and Joseph).

The QB position which we've already gone over extensively in a previous post in backed by former Grey Cup MVP Marcus Crandell, vastly criticized and vastly underrated, Marcus has done nothing to condone the bashing and has the ability to still play and play great in this league.

The Receiver position brings in fresh blood with the acquisition of Oklohoma State product Adarius Bowman, who turned heads in both training camp workouts and preseason games with his explosive speed and reliably soft hands. Fellow NFL draft pick Weston Dressler is expected to step into a starting role...keep in mind that these two are slated to replace the likes of notorious butterfingers Jason French and Corey Grant. Judging by the performances of those two it may not be tough act to follow.

The Rushing game looks exactly the same as six months ago, but with a stronger and even more motivated group, consisting of a surprising Neil Hughes, Chris Szarka with healed fingers and Wes Cates on the 'right' foot. The kicking game also looks the same. Get the picture? The sign of a winner in the making is a team that can make changes while not tinkering with the quality of depth. The offense looks to be in great shape.

The Defense may have seen a great one go in Reggie Hunt but the Riders have a plethora of players that can step into the defensive backfield and take control. Combine that with the stingy play of defensive backs James Johnson, Eddie Davis and the second coming of Omarr Morgan the secondary looks as strong as ever. Look for John Chick to become the dominant force he displayed at the Grey Cup and Ronald Flemons(acquired in Joseph trade) to replace stalwart Fred Perry adequately.

Rider teams of the past have elected to go with what's popular in keeping golden oldies Dan Farthing, Don Narcisse, Curtis Mayfield etc. who stayed far longer than they should have. Eric Tillman lives by and works by this one saying "what is popular is not always right, and what is right is not always popular." History is chalk full of people who have gone against the odds, gone against the masses, gone against the better judgement, and came out some of the most popular people this province has ever known.

In November 2008, Saskatchewan have the potential of having another great one added to that list.

His name is etched deep in every naysayer's sights today.

Saskatchewan vs. Edmonton Friday June 27th 5:30pm kickoff BE THERE!

BleacherBuff

2008 NHL Entry Mock Draft

2008-06-19T21:06:00.000-07:00

It is a day that can shape a franchise and give it hope, while it can also put hope of a franchise in a player everyone thought would bring lots of promise but yet have those hopes quashed. The 2008 NHL Entry Draft is upon us with no shortage of intrigue. This years draft class resembles your image while walking in the backdoor of a weightwatchers exercise session....heavy on the backend. Here are my predictions for the Top 10 picks in detail as well as the remaining Canadian teams. I may be right on all of them, but most likely i'll be wrong on 99% of them (Thank you to Stamkos for being such a sure thing).

1) Tampa Bay Lightning- Steven Stamkos: in reaping the rewards for futility, the cellar dwelling 'Bolts are staring a franchise player in the face and will not hesitate in taking this electric skating, ultra skilled, dynamic leader at #1. Stamkos has been touted to go first overall since Day 1 and has drawn comparisons to the likes of Joe Sakic.

2) Los Angeles Kings- Drew Doughty: Last year the Kings blueline depth was so thin one would have wondered, with a wasted plethora of forwards at their disposal if sticking pylons at each blueline would have done as much damage on the backend. L.A.'s prayers are finally answered as they draft the hard nosed, hard shooting stud who has proclaimed his lifelong fanfare to the team taht will make his dream come true.

3) Atlanta Thrashers- Zach Bogosian: In an imperfect world, Bogosian comes close to being the perfect defenseman. While hockey is a game of mistakes, this steady defender plays nearly mistake-free while playing with an edge. Atlanta has a home run pick in waiting and surely can't go wrong. Based on their depth in the farm system, they can't afford to.

4) St. Louis Blues- Luke Schenn: Any team looking for a player to fill the nets will take a pass on this 'tower of power', who possesses dominance in shutting down other team's top players. The Blues need a defensive parter to compliment Erik Johnson's offensive upside. Look for the two to team up and become a force in the NHL for years to come.

5) N.Y. Islanders- Alex Pietrangelo: Intrigue is the word that describes this big, fast puck moving D-man best. He has many of the same qualities as Doughty but his potential is questioned because of his supposed lack of intensity. Time will tell but the Isles may find it's worth the wait on a player that potentially could become a cause for sleepless nights for many GM's in the future.

6) Columbus Blue Jackets- Cody Hodgson-Will go higher than expected because of one thing that you can't teach and one thing scouts can overlook....hockey sense. Columbus is in need of a play making center and will take a flyer on him.

7) Toronto Maple Leafs- Nikita Filatov- Fans in the center of hockey's universe are screaming for a move up in the draft. The Leafs however will not need to do so. Filatov's uncertainty of coming over to the NHL will keep the other six teams from taking this offensive dynamo with Ovechkin-like skill. Leafs need an exciting player to ignite a lame duck franchise and will gladly take the risk.

8) Pheonix Coyotes- Colin Wilson- As safe a pick as this draft has, Wilson has the drive and skill of an up and coming star, but his lackluster skating keeps him out of elite status. Will still become a very solid NHLer and will make a great 1-2 punch with Peter Mueller.

9) Nashville Predators- Kyle Beach- with the scoring touch of Peter Forsberg, Joe Thornton's size and Owen Nolan-like grittiness, Beach presents the total package, but with an attitude and playing style comparable to Sean Avery, the jury is out on this kid. If that gets toned down, the Preds' have themselves a very special player.

10) Vancouver Canucks- Mikkel Boedker- It is unusual to find a player with the skill level that this Euro possesses still available at this selection. The Canucks need offensive help fast and will get what they wish, hoping someday to team this smooth skaing Swede up with the Sedin twins in the future,

Other Canadian Teams round 1 selections

#17 Calgary Flames- Mattias Tedenby- The 2008 talent pool is filled with players who could be either bust or jump to stardom. Tedenby is no exception. His skill will suggest he's in for a long prosperous career, while his playing style has the ability to cut it short. In a few years, the Flames will either be beaming with pride or shaking their heads in embarrassment at this pick.

#18 Ottawa Senators- Jordan Eberle- An undersized forward who has a knack for the net, the Sens' are a good fit for the freewheeling skater with a lethal wrist shot. His team leading 42 goals on the Reginal Pats (next closest 20) tells you far ahead he was skill-wise to anyone on his team

#22 Edmonton Oilers- Joe Colborne- The Oilers need size up front to go along with skill to help the likes Gagner and Cogliano. His upside is off the charts, and his skill level is up there with any of the top 10 forwards, but how much can he improve.

Report back Friday night for a full analysis on the day June 20th 2008 that could decide YOUR team's future!!.

BleacherBuff

Be careful what you wish for...you may just get it

2008-06-17T21:04:00.000-07:00

Now I'll take you back, waaay back to the summer of 2007...can't recall? here i will even go back into my dusty old archives and show you....

Depth Chart Training Camp 2007

Quarterback position: vying for spots were none other than the ever popular but unproven Kerry Joseph. Joseph had in the past year guided an impatient Rider Nation to a mediocre 9-9 regular and West Division humiliation, he had come with great news, great potential great hopes, but fans had started to question if the QB they were touting the real deal was being given too much of a chance. Why not look to the proven former Grey Cup MVP breaathing down the neck of the supposed starter? That's in fact what happened, proving right once again the old adage that in Saskatchewan the most popular player is the backup QB....fans were saying Crandell had the credentials, the accurate arm, the poise, experience and leadership needed to guide the team to a 3rd Grey Cup. Snap for snap, pass for pass, the two play-callers were stride for stride.

Then came decision time...Eric Tillman went with the man they had committed to in the first place, the man they thought was the meal ticket to success. He picked Kerry Joseph. Question marks were raised, insults were directed the shrewd GM's way...but to the thousands of armchair quarterbacks' shagrin, the Roughriders would cap off an astoundingly successful 2007 season with a Grey Cup Championship.

1 offseason and 1 trade later , Tillman did the unthinkable, trading the cfl's MVP to Toronto, sparking an outrage. Fans were asking for the red coiffed masterminds head, they spat sputtered and stammered in disbelief as one of the most popular qb's in Rider history was traded away. But in retrospect in one offseason and one trade fans had finally got what they wanted.

Crandell is finally at the helm, yet their hasn't been this much contradiction since the O.J. Simpson trial

How will we get that home playoff game again? where are we going to get our rushing yards? how are we going to be able to thrive with a QB so old hes only a decade removed from being over the hill?

Yes. you guessed it....YOU the fans are now lobbying for that no-namer off the bench...the one you think has what it takes, the one you think will take you to the promise land....JYLES! JYLES! JYLES! you'll all chant at the season opener...because you know the man upstairs making the decisions will have to make one soon...

And when it comes right down to that final decision, I have a good feeling what it will be. Tillman will choose who the fans thought was the answer, who they thought had what it takes. He'll choose only who the fans wanted...

12 months earlier.

Calm before the storm

2008-06-12T19:33:00.000-07:00

Now I know it has been almost a week since i've written in this blog, and i know that if i don't get something up my not as loyal viewers will go to some other blog with greater insight and more content (which may not be hard to find) but please bear with me....

We come upon one of the quietest weeks in sports Out of the 52 weeks this year, these 7 days in particular hold about as much intrigue as that fat gag inducing girl you sat beside in grade 4 math class, it's like the blank parker brothers card that comes out of a standard 52 card deck, a card that doesn't particularly do much for the game...and for sports this week plays the same role

k ENOUGH you all scream at me, ENOUGH with all the witty (or perhaps lame) analogies....but im sorry guys...fact is....i'm bored....somehow, when the biggest story of the week in sports is a half-hearted, good natured shot at hockey made by tiger woods that gets immediately blown out of proportion, it doesn't do much for those wanting to read a good blog entry. I find it hard to picture blog nerds rushing home to hear the result of Sergio Garcia and Justin Leonard's tee off at the U.S. Open...and good thing they don't...because i won't have it on here.

I aim to please you in the following areas....football and hockey, with a little of the other stuff in between. Sorry basketball fans, the NBA playoffs and regular season will not be a priority as I have never and probably will never have a vast enough knowledge of the game to write on it.

The University of Saskatchewan Huskies football and hockey teams will get extensive coverage. Fresh off 4 heartbreaking Vanier Cup losses in 6 years, the gridiron heroes are in the running for another appearance in the big dance and every snap will be closely analyzed. The hockey huskies, complete with their state of the art 91 year old rink, will get the press because no one else gives them press...The Star Phoenix has unwisely decided to not follow Saskatoon's best kept secret and instead follow the Blades who have in recent and not so recent years been nothing of importance. The Edmonton Oilers will also get significant attention on here as they go for their first playoff spot since the cinderlla run of 2006. And most of all...my beloved Saskatchewan Roughriders as they defend their title as Grey Cup Champions.

If you have any suggestions as to what you want me to write about if none of these does it for you, email me at mmaasseeyy@hotmail.com

BleacherBuff

Cut the crying....Hockey needs a new jingle

2008-06-07T20:21:00.000-07:00

It is a sad day in the hockey world folks, no not because the 2008 NHL Playoffs have officially ended, or because Gary Bettman has decided he wants to expand further into the States, not even because Pierre McGuire has signed a 5 year extension to stay analyzing for TSN, (but i'll admit, that's almost as sad) it's a sad day because we all realize in the midst of all our grumbling, there really isn't much to complain about. Take the latest blowup for proof:

Hockey Night In Canada has threatened to drop it's iconic theme song known as Canada's second national anthem from its broadcasting, sparking an outrage that has left many old-fashioned oldies looking for answers. it sickens me to think that so many hockey fans are getting their knickers in a knot over a song so old,it would put granddaddy's fiddle solo to shame.

One excerpt in Canwest News Service profoundly amused me and left me to conclude those doing the sports articles were either under a 10 minute deadline or were actually a Woman's Libber enthusiast filling in.

"The show's signature music, a trumpety flourish that has set the nations nerves on edge for nearly 40 years..."

So tell me, when was the last time a trumpety flourish sonatina has left you with the image of hard body checks, highlight reel goals and blood, sweat and tears? all it's done is left me with a greater yearning for the opening faceoff when all will be heard is Bob Cole's aged voice...*ahem*

The catcalls didn't stop there.

"That's part of our history, part of our life, part of the enthusiasm for the game...When you heard that, you thought Canada, you thought hockey..."

Back in 7th Grade, it was in band class I had the privilege of hearing or 'playing' that song for the first time... as we played it I wondered, did my instructor get this wrong? what's with the title? so when do we get to exciting part? surely it was a mistake...But no... i was forced to conclude that in fact, this song, with about as much intensity as knitting club at Granny Annie's, was indeed a symbol for hockey, for our country.

CBC in my view has forever been a broadcasting corporation which has failed to keep up with the times, complete with coma-inducing documentaries, its very own top ten of classic Sonatina's, as well as a ninety-something year old broadcaster (hello there Bob Cole, how's your *pick a body part* holding up today?) belting out the play by play. It is for this reason that many people or -excuse me- all people under the age of 75 get turned off by the programming.

The Hockey Night In Canada song is no different. They managed to brainwash you into thinking that it's all about tradition, all about remembering back in 1977 when you and your Dad made it a Saturday night ritual and heard that trumpet sound out like an alarm clock...Hurray...Hurrah for the past how about a little of the future?...a little modernization?

A poster on Faceoff.com said it best when her insightful post subsequently backfired, saying the song would be sadly missed because its "as much a Canadian icon as the beaver on the nickel"

Canadian icon yes, but let me ask you this....

How many of you reading this have come across a beaver in Canada within the last year?

Anyone?

Point taken.

BleacherBuff

Detroit Red Wings win 2008 Stanley Cup

2008-06-05T16:51:00.000-07:00

I solemnly declare the Detroit Red Wings and Lord Stanley a worthy pair.

Now before i go off into today's rant i would just like to extend my uhhh ahem *sputter, sputter*congratulations (this is so unnatural to me) to the Detroit Red Wings for winning their 4th cup in 10 years...4 cups I did not want them to win quite frankly. As many have noticed as I've followed hockey over the years, i hold a particularly high disdain for Mo-town's marvels for one simple reason.

They just keep on winning.

Back in 1997 i did not know what I was getting into...Philadalphia Flyers vs. Detroit Red Wings...so who to cheer for? the Wings had gone cup-less (no pun intended) for 40 odd years and i felt a yearning sympathy for them. Deceived yes, but also happy...happy to jump on the bandwagon of a winner for once....unlike my most recent years when picking a winner was far from a sure thing. The Wings would go on the following season and demonstrate their dominance in one of the most boring Finals to date. A great fear struck my heart...three peat...4 peat....how many peats?

The NHL had a plan that more often than not works like a charm...low draft picks, aging veterans, increasing parity...it would all catch up to them one of these years right?

Dead wrong.

I'm telling you, that was some deep draft in 1998. There happened to be 170 players General managers thought were a better pick than Pavel Datsyuk, who was snagged in the 6th round...you think thats a steal? 2008 Conn Smythe Trophy winner Henrik Zetterberg sat through 6+ rounds before the Wing gave him a chance with the 210th pick in the 7th round. Add to the fact that their Defense is near immortal. Chris Chelios(45) is one short decade away from real retirement, Nick Lidstrom is taking his last steps over the hill (38), Mathieu Schneider(39) was born when the first man landed on the moon and Bryan "young gun"Raflaski (35) rounds out their top 4 defencemen. This was solely the fact i thought they were ripe for a 1st round upset,stacked with slow moving, washed out defenders ,that along with the fact they were laden with smooth skating Europeans, the Wings were labelled "soft" and who could argue?

Cue the 2008 playoffs....

Going in, the Wings were at their usual view from the top, they had all the stats all the points all the promise they had in their three previous Cup triumphs but some (myself included) expected them to crawl into a hole and die. There were things analysts pointed too... rock hard D, talented group of forwards and great experience. I agreed with all those things, but what i thought they would do was crumble under the pressure. It was tempting to go that route

In Round 1 after dropping 2 games on the road against the Predators there were those who questioned. The Wings went on to win their next 9 playoff games...pulverizing the Avs in 4 and taking three from the Stars. Then Dallas answered back and took two....could this be the collapse...the hockey world crossed their fingers in hopes of a good story....nothing doing...Game 6 was a total obliteration.

In the Big Dance, up 3-1, they were mere seconds away from taking Stanley, yet it slipped from their grasp...was this series going to have a storybook ending? Game 6 told the story...Detroit took care of business.

This is why I was in such denial, Detroit Red Wings first class organization, first class hockey, first class drafting were supposed to win...and they did. In the end. Datsyuk put the puck where he needed to, Holmstrom stuck his rear in the right places, Babcock pushed the right buttons and all the veterans did and said the right things.

The NHL, folks, is entertainment and if i want the same amount of predictability as this year's playoffs has provided i may as well read a Harlequin romance. The most entertaining thing about sports today is the unpredictability, the unknown, the glee of seeing the giant collapse...this team provided none of that .

In 2007, The Anaheim Ducks were favorites from the very beginning loading up on defence on the way through to their 1st Stanley Cup in franchise history...i hated every second of it...the team that had been favoured won. This year i scoffed, i pointed to the dominant Penguins who at will scored highlight reel goal after goal. Yet the team without a first round draft pick since 1994, a team that has seen its fair share of players retire, a team that has been labeled chokers each year came out on top.

In a world where if your on top and the only place to go is down, the Red Wings keep going higher and higher...but just consider my prediction....they will not take it higher in 2009.

Based by my track record...the Detroit Red Wings are now official contenders for repeating as Stanley Cup Champions.

BleacherBuff

It ain't over till its over baby

2008-06-03T19:12:00.000-07:00

Pittsburgh 4 Detroit 3 (3ot)
One minute, 60 seconds , two more dumpins, a few more strides, a few more shinings of Lord Stanley's mug and the Cup would be Hockey town's to party with.....

the clock ticked down....and then.....

The phone rang.
"don't answer it, someone else will" I quipped to my Dad who was by that point ready to throw in the towel.

25 seconds later the Penguins answered the call.

To be honest, the 2008 NHL playoffs had prior to last night's debacle been a bust, complete with two conference finals of if you snooze you lose or in this case if you sleep walk well you may even win kind of hockey. Watching last night's game tick down in Detroit's favour felt wrong, it felt empty, it was so preaseason, so all-star game, so American Idol...a whole lot of hype over a whole lot of nothing....there were no blood, sweat and tears, it seemed too good to be true...and it was.

The pens' cast of young stars clearly gave up too much in this game to lose...not just too many shots, too many broken teeth, too many broken noses.

Ryan Malone himself may well have given up any chances with the ladies in the near (and far) future and suffering his second broken nose in 2 weeks.

Marc-Andre will forever be a notorious figure in Motor City after ruining everyone's hopes in Hockey town of a party.

Sergei Gonchar sacrificed his noggin, Therrien sacrificed his job, everyone sacrificed their bodies

That's why Maxime Talbot's 3rd period goal and Petr Sykora's winner were so epic. It told Wings fans to shut their mouths and take a listen, put down that beer and cancel that party, save it for another day.

From the get-go the Wings were by far the better team and throughout each period they got stronger and stronger.
Datsyuk dangled
Zetterberg zigged
Franzen zagged

they dazzled, awed and amazed the hockey world and were doing it in style, but their performance was like....a roof without shingling, a burger without the patty, an in-law without the baggage, a hardwood floor without the finish.......uh wait...finish....

Detroit lacked finish.

The 2004 Calgary Flames were staring the cup in the face in overtime of game 6 up 3-2. One goal, one shot, one red light away from the Stanley Cup. Post after post, save after save. Nothing doing. The Tampa Bay Lightning and Martin St. Louis got the chance, delivered and never looked back.

Fast forward to 2008. The Wings were and still are staring the cup in the face. The Penguins having dodged death 100 times prior took their shot and never disappointed....can they defy the odds twice more?

Down in the Penguins dressing room after two overtime periods of frantic action, everyone looked around as their body language pleaded to each other to be the guy. Petr Sykora, having been through this many times before got up and delivered a wisecrack

"I've got this one guys, i'll just score one now allright?"

The call came.
Sykora answered.

The odds are still in Detroit's favour...but one things certain...Lord Stanley will not be awarded until that last dump is in, until that last stride is taken, until the last shine on the cup has to be shone, until the last second has ticked, until the last blood is dropped, until the last tear is cried.....

Until the last fat lady has sung.

BleacherBuff

Detroit- Pittsburgh Game #4 Preview

2008-05-30T20:59:00.000-07:00

One particular ad on cbc.ca caught my attention as I watched a rather forgettable game#3 of the Stanley Cup Finals.

It was an image of Sidney Crosby,with the look and desire of a leader with maturity far beyond his years, staring down his nemesis, only one shot, one shootout goal stood between him and the all important win.
The scoreboard read Penguins 3 Leafs 3 (something is not quite right here...did Sid take the first 3 periods off?)
The fate of the game rested in the kid's hands
But then he came through because.....
Crosby drinks Gatorade.

Sorry to those who shamelessly promoted this product but the fact that the greatest player in the World scored on one of the more inconsistent goalies in the NHL has nothing to do with your drink...it does not promote it...it does not promote Crosby it lessens him, because if it takes that extra burst to beat a lackluster team in a shootout what will it take to beat the powerhouse of hockey town.

One things clear, the Penguiins are going to need a whole lot more out of their captain and drinking that watered down macho sports drink is going to do nothing for the cause.

Here, folks is the first test of real adversity the wonder-kind has faced in the 2008 playoffs...look at the first three rounds for proof.Round 1 was about as predictable as The Hardy Boys series that we all used to sweat bullets over as kids...miraculously those two never died and always escaped the clutches...in this series the Pens were immortal and came through unscathed the same way taking it in an easy four. Round two was the official William Hung series....a whole lot of hype over a whole lot of nothing...put that series down for a quick 5 games. Round 3 was kind of like watching a symphony...sure we all know its a big deal...lots of talent.....lots at stake and uh...uh...zzzzzzzz oh and wake me up when it's over will ya?

Now comes the big test, down 2-1 and coming off a masterful game three performance the series is now in Sid's hands....Watching him take over is like reading the Harry Potter series all over again...

Harry Potter...young legend in the making, beaten twice but not defeated came back and put a dent in his nemesis' arsenal when all else seemed hopeless, a nation's hope rested on his shoulders, the wand rested confidently in his hand.... he delivered.

Sidney....get out your magic stick and work that magic, a whole hockey world, a league's hopes lies on your shoulders.

and i just have one question to ask kid?

Is it in you?

The answer is yes

Penguins 4 Red Wings 1

BleacherBuff

Canuck dies in motorcycle crash.

2008-05-29T21:13:00.000-07:00

Stanley Cup Finals overshadowed by tragic loss as NHL loses a five star player and five star person

A sick feeling crept into my gut as i took a glimpse at the top story on tsn.ca....what i expected was the 9,871st story about crosby and malkin going for their cup dream, another boring little excerpt about how the blue jays blew yet another lead...or the announcement that attendance numbers were down in the nhl and that they were losing money

the nhl however lost something, someone far more important today....

Luc Bourdon....promising young d-man already seemed set for the primetime....one of many young hockey mad french canadians looking to make it to the big show....his path to stardom seemed like destiny....his first class performance at the 2007 World Junior Championships left scouts drooling...wondering how this kid got to the #10 pick. It didnt stop there...he was then traded that same season to the Moncton Wildcats where in showing his born leadership qualities led them to the greatest acheivment in junior hockey, winning the memorial cup. It only got better .... Bourdon signed a 3 year contract with the Canucks...appearing in a 9 game stint before being sent back.

The dream was within arms reach.

Bourdon appeared in 43 games with the canucks in 2007-2008 further proving that he was NHL ready, primed for the 2009 season his promising career was set to take off.

Fast forward to May 29th 2008

Two days after purchasing his very own motorcycle..."Lucky" Luc got behind the wheel with a stiff wind in tow and road off. At around 12:30 p.m. coming in with too much speed...likely due to the stiff wind...A Semi came head on with Bourdon....he never had a chance...it was the one break in life he didn't get...

i am not going to exclaim at how many goals assists and points were lost in this one tragic accident, how the canucks possibly lost a few years of proper development in losing a future star, or how good he could have been...at the end of the day, the stardom, the draft, world juniors, memorial cup and 3 year contract just explained mean absolutely nothing...the possibility of being a great hockey player means nothing...what he could have been means nothing...

i feel no sadness over what was lost as a hockey player...he already accomplished in a few short years in hockey what most players won't ever achieve. He had very few games to show his stuff in the NHL but he had 21 years to show, off the ice what a great person he was...and that he did.

The NHL today lost one great hockey player.
The World lost one great person.

Luc Bourdon #28
1987-2008

BleacherBuff

The Duck 'N' Nuck- a sleeping pill that works

2007-05-08T21:43:00.000-07:00

A series only a mother could love.

painful, yet good hockey, let's be thankful it only went 5 games

I apologize profusely for having to once again use our mothers' as a source of entertainment and as a means of getting a good solid blog in for today. Just as my recent (ha!) blog from ages ago pointed mercilessly at their protective ways, we now focus on a quality that no one else would ever be able to accomplish.

Maybe i'm just being harsh but the bottom line is, when it comes to style with the Ducks and the Canucks... value village, granny anny and a rigger's dress code would have considerably more. Just as the gag-inducing girl in fifth grade may have been a really good person overall...such is the case with the ducks who have perennial all-stars Chris Pronger and Scott Neidermayer on their HUGE backend, but when it comes time to watch them, Granny Annys cooking show all of a sudden looks good. (sorry to pick on you gran, your just such a great person inside). These two teams have the glitz and glamour of Vegas at dawn, with stanley cup aspirations afar, but when it comes right down to it...this league is for entertainment...and entertainment is what these guys are not...unless you find blocked shots, dump-ins and 2-1 games truly fascinating.

A year ago, these teams were candy for the eye...the canucks boasted bertuzzi and naslund, a pylon of a goalie (more goals!) and freewheeling hockey that could make a fish gasp for air. The Ducks were at one time Mighty but then the one year they thought they'd finally be mighty, they took it out. This year, the canucks got a rock of a goalie, their best player and really, their most exciting, but his job is to make the game less exciting by allowing less goals. Thanks Roberto!

The two teams have winning down to an art...yet they are like going to the Mendel art gallery. There you will find many paintings and artwork that when you look at it you might question how it got there...but the main thing is it got there...with a 1st place badge stamped onto it! Perhaps we're missing something...this supposed good hockey with a deeper meaning, a deeper effort, a deeper strategy.We'll wonder in June how that team got there, how a team with such a great talent to bore its viewers got to hockeys greatest stage...but...

Let's face it.....

Duck Hockey + Nuck Hockey = Suck Hockey

Bleacher Buff

The Mother of all Stories

2007-02-26T20:41:00.000-08:00

"Razor's" dancing draws ire of Mother Emery

The smile was contagious. Seeing controversial Ottawa goalie Ray Emery shed the mitts for tilts with Goalie Martin Biron and tough guy Andrew Peters, all the while smiling like a fat kid with cake was something to see. Never have hockey fans seen a player in the midst of a nasty brawl have so much fun. 'Razor' won the hearts and the appreciation of hockey fans across the country with his dance moves...all except a certain person of authority back home...

"Yeah I enjoy that kind of thing, but ya know mom got mad, she didn't like it too much"

The wrath of the momma, that's a no-no. One with more influence than a team full of Bob Proberts, mother can take the nastiest of all competitors and put them into a state so soft they would make European hockey players look like goons. Not buying it?

INSERT Andrew Peters
EXTRACT Mom

"But ya know, Andrew Peters got mad, he didn't like it too much"

What makes a bunch of uncontrollable goons/ Goalies out for a little fun kneel down to a lil ol' mother whose parenting wore thin a long time ago?
I'll get back to you on that in a second mom, no, just one second ok? c'mon mom...

The melee all started with a Chris Neil check on Buffalo forward Chris Drury, a check that kind of resembled the opinion of stoners on certain catastrophic drugs.

"It's a hard one, but it's still clean"

Yes folks, as much as Lindy Ruff would like to think there was an elbow, it was not an excuse to send out his top goons against Ottawa's top guns.

On the ensuing facoff the following occured:
Goon#1 after Spezza
Goon#2 after Heatly
Goon #3 after Comrie
Ray Emery after Martin Biron (if you want a comparison on this one, this fight's like a boat with 3 fat guys all sitting in the back....very one sided)
Andrew Peters after Ray Emery (one fat guy just got up and went to the front, it's evened out)
Mother Emery after Ray.

If Neil had any idea what trouble he got his old buddy into he would have reconsidered and opted out of the physical play he's paid to engage in. But most likely he won't, and maybe just maybe....in his career Ray may get another chance to show his stuff. Well Ray....uh...go ahead...

Just make sure Mother isn't checking from behind.

From "Seive"iour to Saviour

2006-04-10T22:39:00.000-07:00

Overpowering the Giant...Almost

No matter what happens after this, G Anton Khudobin has already made it a season of wonder for the Saskatoon Blades with an 80 save performance...making a soon to be route into a frustrating marathon.

Looking into the drafting ranks of last years Euro draft, one would think that while the blades did indeed get to pick in the 1st round, their selection wouldn't amount to much more than a healthy scratch, a player not used for much more than wearing a suit and tie and looking extra splendid in the C.U.C bleachers while the rest of his team sweated it out ont he ice.

While other years it would be so predictable, we are more than happy this year to say we are dead wrong.

Anton Khudobins 80 save performance was somethng more than spectacular, almost too good for the NHL, a record breaking performance, it seemed as though this was a #1 selection rather than the 52nd selection that was taken by Lorne Molleken 6 months prior. Being called a COMMIE SIEVE or Anton the Leaky was the usual for the Russian goalie who faced scrutiny for his lacklustre performance in the Worl Junior Final and throughout the junior season. In Game 1, you'd have to cover your ears AND yell loudly to not here the rants at the tempered goalie, who then after this inhumanlike performance received the opposite, a standing ovation from the 4,006 faithful of the team he stymied all night. Save after save, minute afer minute went by as people began to wonder whether this could go on all night. Minnesota Wild scouts watched in disbelief as they were then unveiled the possible next marc andre fleury
Shots on Goal
Medicine Hat Way too many
Saskatoon Way too much

"I just focus and try to stop puck, and it was a good for me, i was stopping everything shot, you understand" said Khudobin in his brusque Russian accent, not knowing whether we get it or not.

it was a night where he could not be stopped but was, it was a night where he seemed unbeatable yet was beaten, but not as a goalie.On Saturday night he won the season, the hearts, and the respect from hockey fans all over, we understood Anton, more than you'll ever know.

russia canada

2006-01-11T15:02:00.000-08:00

Not in our house!

Canada shuts out Russians en-route to a 2nd straight World Junior Championship

By: Jon Massey

Canada 5 Russia 0
Nothing in this tournament could have been more final, more decisive and more satisfying than the way the world juniors ended for Team Canada, who in front of 19,000+ fans at GM Place in Vancouver scorched the favoured Russians 5-0 to take their 2nd straight World Junior Championship.

Coming in as a legitimate spectator, countries such as Russia and U.S.A. reveled in the thought of Canada possibly having to watch the Gold Medal match-up in street clothes right in the midst of their home arena in their home country amongst their home fans.

No Way. No How.

Team Canada, led by the flawless record of Coach Brent Sutter, pulled off what many pundits could not have predicted come Dec. 26 when the World Junior Hockey Championships began...win a gold medal. Opening the scoring for the Canucks was Steve Downie, a player who no one thought would be on the team, two gaols were scored by Micheal Blunden, a player not too many canadian fans knew about prir to teh tourney, and the insurance goal was scored by former Saskatoon Contact and Meadow Lake product Blake Comeau. To top it all off, the final was scored by the captain and player who was in danger of never being able to play hockey ever again about 1 year ago, when he suffered a major groin injury.

This team was a proven underdog, against all odds they pulled through and rightfully deserve to be called once again a hockey powerhouse

Laval Red and Whites---beautiful name isn't it?(Rouge Et Or) vs. Sass catch Eh One Huskies

2005-11-18T21:21:00.000-08:00

This french cuisine up for fine dining?

Expect nothing but the best from 2 flawless teams tomorrow afternoon in CIS Mitchell Bowl

Ok folks the time has come hmhm (clears throat) the stage is now set for one of the possibly greatest games in University Football History.... Who? Who did you ask? Oh you can't speak french, ok let me translate..

The stage is set for tomorrow's game between the Saskatchewan Huskies (were they ever considered scary dogs?, not really) vs. the Laval Red and Whites (otherwise known as the Laval ROUGE eh? OOOR) snicker snicker, right here one thing is proven....the team makes the name....the name does not make the team.

Flawless teams do not make flawless names as the Laval French Guys (10-0) clash (tough word, no?) against the Saskatchewan Farmer Boys (10-0). 2 teams looking a blemish (also called a freckle, pimple or zit) in the eye and licking out of the same bowl (The Mitchell Bowl) in the process.

The Huskies showcase SB rookie Henry McScott (better known as Scott McHenry) to pluck the pigskin out of the counterpart Dbs. If the huskies have a shot, he must come through as he has done in past games. His magnet like hands have earned him rookie of the year honours in Canada West and he continues to shine throughout. David Stevens is another key. 190 yards rushing appears to be what the doctor is prescribing today if the huskies are going to rack up points, taking less pressure off of the D. Lastly the fan base has to come through. Revenge is the word coming out of the mouths of every loyal fan in Hub City as they eagerly await this battle of the titans...make noise, make noise and make noise are the three things to be done by the fans tomorrow afternoon.

A balanced huskie team in a tight conference vs. a highly touted Laval team (don't even utter that word Dynasty) looking for a challenge....

consider that challenge met.

Huskies 22 Rouge Et Or 19

Hardy Cup Preview

2005-11-12T08:29:00.000-08:00

HARDY CUP CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL

University of Saskatchewan Huskies vs. University of Alberta Golden Bears

U of S Huskies (9-0)
Team MVP: David Stevens
The Sshhh Player(Quiet Contributor): Morley Miller
Rookie of the Year: Scott McHenry
Defensive Player of the Year: Morley Miller, Ryan Gottsellig
Unsung Hero: Steve Bilan

Three Important, imperative, critical and crucial players needed at peak performance to win this game

1. David Stevens RB: no surprise here, no team in the 9 games played have been able to keep this speedy back to under 100 yards in a game. A td early would set the tone for a beating on Griffiths frigid tundra.
2. Scott McHenry WR - It's almost mean to put such responsibility on a 1st year player put in the limelight so fast. This sure handed receiver has drawn comparisons from viewers in the likes of Saskatchewan Roughriders top receiver of all time Dan Farthing, and current B.C. Lions stalwart Jason Clermont but in order to become an elite receiver he must come up big in the big games...the time is now, no matter what age he is.
3. Jayson Koroll LB- moves into Morley Millers' vacated spot, the leader in tackles on the team this season. Big shoes to fill, will he be able to walk in them? It's important, imperative and yes critical and crucial for him to step up because of the Golden Bears ability to go downfield.

U of A Golden Bears (8-1)
Team MVP : Andrew Ginther
The Ssssh Player: Darren Balderson
Defensive player of the year: David Lowry
Unsung Hero: Darryl Salmon

Three keys to Alberta's, shall we say 'wishful thinking' success if they are (in a perfect world) to pull out the upset this afternoon

1. Don't let the Huskies flawless record flaw you into mistakes- So much has been said about perfection by a Huskie team that has come out with a vengence this year. Play the game with confidence as if you're playing the Regin...er a really bad team, and play with the alertness that this is a powerhouse team you are up against.
2. Scoring 1 td early on a virtually unbreakable Huskie defence would flash the panic button in the Huskies faces. It may not seem that simple but that may be all it takes...1 td here, one td there and hold a questionable receiveing corp the rest of the way. (shrugs)
3 STOP DAVID STEVENS : the key of all keys..if this key is off tune, you'll get a tuning in, no team in university football has been of such impact as stevens...if you can't stop him you can't stop the huskies.

THE LOWDOWN: throw away any possibilities of a bears upset. The Huskies defence is swaggering with confidence and rightfully so after averaging only 11.7 points against per game and the huskies offence, with the achillies heel being the receiving, everything seems to look underrated. This team has the horses to get the job done, setting the stage for an even bigger game next weekend against an always tough Quebec opponent.

Call me a Homer for now, try calling me that tomorrow.

Saskatchewan Huskies 28 Alberta Golden Bears 17

Riders-Eskimoes

2005-10-04T20:21:00.000-07:00

A split second can make a difference

2 split second make one whole second as Omarr Morgan's 2 split second plays give Edmonton a second to ponder a last second loss.

Now wait just a second here folks. Just a second ago wasn't everyone screaming for the heads of rider players after a second (who's counting?) choking of a last second opportunity?

After Omarr Morgan's second big play on a last second blocked field goal, you may want to give them a second chance. Either way, there's no more second guessing of a previously second rated defence.

Uh Sorry What?...Oh...sorry folks I guess i've just been told to stop acting 2 and get down 2 business on why the Saskatchewan Roughriders are now the hottest team in the CFL.

Ok, uh i only came here today prepared to only fool around, be less serious, i don't even feel like giving you the beat on the game here today in fear that you'll turnover in laughter at my lacking speaking skills. Ok fine I guess i'm just going to have to wing it....Wing it?, Turnover? Hey I think I can use that as my starting point. Hey wait...starting point? something the Riders are doing early and often as opposed to the Turnover and Winging it into triple coverage they were so accustomed to doing before.

Let's get straight to the point....37-36 Riders... I know I make a lot of misprints on here when I publish it the first time but this is not one of them, winning by one point in riderville is as rare as uncooked meat....3 minutes before the final gun the score on the maxtron scoreboard read 37-36 riders....so big deal they were up down the stretch anyway so what's the fuss? The touchdown doomed drive by the Eskimoes everyone thought it would be, started with a 30 yard pass to RonMcClendon (anyone ever heard of that name? no? ok thanks guys thats what i thought)...2 heartstopping plays later the eskimoes were set up to kick a 30 yard field goal (you know those kick to win a trip to hawaii field goals at halftime? well this was roughly the same distance, and all done by a kicker who's put more power into his kicks than a car with the power to drive to hawaii) " ok i said hut, c'mon lets snap to it, hut hut, are you listening to me? don't listen to the crowd, just snap the ball' said the honourable Haden Epstein who, 0 for 3 on field goals that day, is sure to have the flag halfmast in Riderville when he passes on ,all because of his contributions today. "snap is back, ball is up...NO WAIT, ITS BLOCKED, ITS BLOCKED, IT IS DOWN, THE ESKIMOES ARE DOWN, RIDERS WIN!

This day will go down in history as the day a fellow kicker punched the riders in the back when they were choking and saved them. Tomorrow is sure to be a good work day, no more firings due to manure dumping incidents, no more family disputes over who should be starting QB, no more tears, no more pain

At least for another week that is........

BleacherBuff

Blades Preview

2005-10-03T19:54:00.000-07:00

Hey you, you're looking good today!!!

With firepower aplenty, the blades look to fill the nets and fill the win column in 2005/2006

2 years

730 days

17,520 hours

1,051,200 minutes

63,072,000 seconds

1 transformed, resurrected ,rebuilt,and rejuvenated hockey team

That's all folks. That's all it's taken, 1 GM, a handful of hockey players, 2 coaches, a 5000 fan fluctuation and rise again,

Now allow me if you will to scope, analyze,evaluate,inspect,investigate,scrutinize,judge,discuss and determine the fates of the following players on the Blades who will make a lasting impact on the blue and gold in 2005/2006, the players that will one day be given the same drawn out speech on their retirement jersey day about how much they've given to the game and how much $$ its given back and how many knees and noses and heads and morales they've broken while busting there butt on the ice, and the passion they've put into this long lasting junior franchise....still awake........sorry..........i digress.

First off it's none other than

DEVIN SETOGUCHI-Make sure you don't have an ice cream cone tilted on the edge of your seat when this guy has has the puck because chances are you'll knock it and everything else onto the floor when jubilantly jumping out of your seat at the sight of yet another dipsy doodle goal by 'Seto'. 50 goals isn't out of the question if the defencemen can consistently get him the puck.

Gadies and Lentlemen, the king of great names in the WHL. The most talked about name in junior hockey, with no relevance to his great hockey skills...put your hands togethor for....

WACEY RABBIT- If you mix up the first letters in each name, it goes like so....Racey Wabbit, meaning a race oriented Rabbit. This player will be going so fast on the ice, you'll get the reciprocal form of a fast rabbit mixed up and instead say 'i think i saw a Wacey Rabbit'. Too slow to figure this analogy out? You're not alone. Not many opponents in the WHL can figure out Wacey Rabbit either.

Now this leads us to the third and definately not the weakest link of probably the most envied group of forwards in the WHL. If good names were an indication of good teams, the blades would be a perrenial powerhouse....and they very well could be with the help of.............

JOE BARNES- Despite a neck injury that nearly ended his career 3 eyars ago, Barnes is the backbone of an explosive groupof small forwards. However, small he is not at 6'3 215 and will be a vital part of the blades physical presence.

Also take note of ........

Russian Goalie ANTON KHUDOBIN- A russian all-star wisely selcted by molleken in the Euro draft, appears to have it all, as many witness in his preseason 59 save performance against the tigers. Expect him to be the showstopper and to steal a few game behind a vulnerable blades defence.

Justin McRae- The future captain of the team, at 17 years old will be counted on to carry a big load....................................and the list goes on

Hey you, did i just hear you whisper something about someone being a homer.

Hmph.

Lets face it folks. We haven't seen a team thi spotent in recent memory (recent memory could mean as far back as 1 year if your over 50, 1 day if your a senior, 1 minute if you have alzheimers, but yeah you get the point)

All this can be thanked to Lorne Molleken who has taken the team (if you could call it that then) in 2004 to favourite in 2005-2006....all in the time of.........

2 years

730 days

17520 hours

1,051,200 minutes

63,072,000 seconds

1 matured, straightened out, changed,good hockey team

Prediction: 41-24-4-3

As a sidenote.......

One unflattering fact about the blades defence: Nic Knudsen last year, of all the returning d-men, led the goal scoring parade (if you can call it that, more like a 1 minute walk to the park) with a whopping 3 goals...such a statistic should be accounted for as Molleken promptly did...going after Craig Lineker of the Pats who also had a whopping 3 goals last year----good job Lorne.

BleacherBuff

Huskies vs. Rams

2005-09-19T15:15:00.000-07:00

HUSKIES 44 RAMS 7

Whistle While You Work

Huskies make short work of vulnerable Rams squad.

It didn't take very much straining of the ears to hear the "Frankie" Catcalls echoed by loyal hecklers behind the dismal (understatement?) Regina Rams brass. The hotdoggers' comments dished out to the downtrodden coach mired in an 11 game losing streak was left to, quite Frankly, put up with and relish the verbal( but mostly clean, unlike the game) jabs during the Huskies 44-7 romp Saturday afternoon.

From start to finsih it was evident a youth stricken football club such as U of R could not cut the mustard against a ball hawking defence considered one of the best in the country. What was more painful was the heckling match- or heckling bombardment by huskie fans. The Rams skin seemed easier to get under than Tom Cruise by news reporters. It was easier than simply imitating a sibling and driving them up the wall as a result of not quitting. The only acceptable reason for this would be that along with the Rams misfortunes are the Riders 5 game losing streak as well as the tiring of hearing about a 5 year rebuilding plan taking place and it only being in year 2.

It all started as expected, midway through the first quarter QB Steve Bilan hooked up with the huskies only returning receiver Jeff Schieman for a 50 yard TD. Take note, the huskie fans had only taken their first sip and had barely begun thinking of a list of "good burns for blowouts" to shower them with. The Rams teased fans not much later with a strike of their own to tie it at 7-7. It would be the first (and only) time the Rams fans would become vocal in an annoying and positive fashion. ( being annoying is one thing, being intelligently annoying is another..... chalk up another one for the huskie nation)

Sparked by 2 TD's by Leighton Heron and David Stevens to stretch it to 21-7, the Rams applausers gone sympathizers began putting the fanatic back in fan and instilled the love into the 2 cities that always has been, and to think we've already been through another quarter, hence 5 more drinks each for 50 fans 50 times happier.

Enter Frank McCrystal...the noble and intelligent and unbelievably succssful coach we've all come to know (Whether he'd like the honour or not, we'll give it to him anyway.)

This man right here...hold the applause was the center of attention all day, and as the afternoon wore on, stretching the lead to a 35-7 lead in the 3rd quarter, more glory and honour was directed at Frank. But only in ones drunkedness would one overlook the huskies dominance and mastery in this game. This team looked scary, merciless, mean, strong,mature...bla bla...bla

but as one fan pointed out from the bleachers...it may all come down to this....

"We owe it all to you Frankie"

UP NEXT: The Dogs head to manitoba for a showdown of 2 teams swaggering off game 1 blowouts...Bisons vs. Huskies 1:00 in Winnipeg

2005-09-08T18:29:00.000-07:00

From Dirty Rascal to King of the castle

Evan Hardy Souls look to regain football prominence after 2 years of mediocrity.

Before we get unto the major subject today, I'd like to show you a few key vocabulary words one must learn before heading out to Gordie Howe Bowl on friday.

1. Boredom (bor'dem) weariness bcaused by dull, tiresome people or events.

These dull, tiresome people that caused the boredom happened to be your Evan Hardy Souls, whose 28 game winning streak was in virtual jeopardy. The team found themselves down 35-0, prompting hundreds of teenagers in the stands to start churning the wheels in their head...LOOK OUT!

2. RiffRaff (rif'raf') worthless people: trash

This is the name best suited for the attention happy person who decided to go for a run on the Gordie Howe Bowl grass star naked. It was a Humid night and apparantly the run clocked faster than any other football player on the field in that game, but regardless, the streakee got a standing O from the boredom stricken crowd.

3. Chaos (Kaos) Great confusion; complete disorder.

This is what usually occurs when an intersecting of the two previous words takes place. It takes complete boredom and a little mix of desire to be a RiffRaff. This must be done with a large amount (or very little depending on the value) for it to become chaotic. A 2nd prime example of stupidity caused by a dismal team came when a RiffRaff played a catch me if you can game with a cop....the young man successfully deked the officer out of his pants and got away unscathed.

However, keep in mind, these 2 these 2 games in 2 different years and this unsoulike behavior occured at the hands of team the Souls face this Friday- The St. Joseph Guardians. Put away the Handkerchiefs and trash the "Swear words for Dummies exclusive" book this is time to seek revenge. The Dark Age is now ever.

No more "rebuilding" (translation-sucking)

No more moral victories for Grade 10 youths

No more comments such as this "Oh well, another inclomplete pass, at least our QB is only in grade 10"

Chase Bradshaw is now in grade 11. He's now a big boy. It is imperative he deliver as a result of being one year older and more mature at the QB position. Same goes for Regan Schuler, all star RB in his first year in the backfield, as well as Incredible Hulk Jason Pearce...You don't have to be a senior to deliver on the field...as this team is expected to show this season, as they attempt to bring back the football pride that has lacked for the past 2 years. Don't count of Grade 12 standouts Tom Montgomery, Matt Rapparlie, and Brett Gregg, potential leaders on this team as they begin their quest for the city title.

It all starts Friday, when they play the monkey on their back for the last 2 years, in a game solely played for the Freshies

BleacherBuff

Canada West Preview

2005-09-05T14:29:00.000-07:00

CANADA WEST FOOTBALL CONFERENCE PREVIEW

RANKINGS

1. U OF S HUSKIES(6-2/9-3, Lost 7-1 to Laval in Vanier Cup)- The Dogs take sole possession of pre-season rankings after making their 2nd Vanier Cup appearance in 3 years Despite losing most of their explosive receiving corps in Aaron David, Nathan Hoffart, Chad Rempel plus Slotbacks Jeff Piercy and Graeme Bell , they return CIS All-Canadian Pivot Steve Bilan, holder of the Canada West record for touchdowns in the air (25) in one season. Within this team lies no real weakness, stockpiled at every position. Look for the Green Machine to run the show.

Breakout Year for: David Stevens, Jarod Koroll, Leighton Heron

Future All-Canadians: Steven Bilan,Barnstable, Stevens, Schieman, Guebert

Rival Team- Alberta Golden Bears
Prediction:8-0

2. Alberta Golden Bears (7-1/8-2, lost to Saskatchewan 21-20 in Canada West Final)- Once considered the CIAU/CIS pussycat, the Bears have put themselves into the position as one of the top teams thanks to QB Darryl Salmon, who continues to be the X factor in the Bears hopes of knocking the powerhouse Huskies off their stoop. Expect some classic battles this year beginning with a re-match of the Mitchell Bowl October 8th when the Bears visit Griffiths Stadium to continue Canada Wests newest heated rivalry.

Players to watch: Darryl Salmon, Jared Winkel, David Lowry

Breakout year for:

Future All-Canadians:

Rival team: Saskatchewan Huskies

Prediction:6-2

3. Manitoba Bisons (3-5, Did not make playoffs)

This vastly improved team still feels the effects of their quartfinal loss to the underdog huskies in 2002 after going 8-0 in the regular season. Since then, they have been on a downslide and look to regain that powerhouse reputation they once had. While most fans of canada west still question this team and expect mediocre things out them, expect them to surprise and in a big way.

Players to Watch: Ryan Zahara

Rival Team: U of S Huskies

Prediction: 5-3

4. UBC Thunderbirds (5-3/5-4, lost to Huskies in quarterfinal 39-0)- From Quarterback Blake Smelser to RB Chris Czecki and All-Canadian D-lineman Nick Johanssen, look for the T-Birds to be right back where they were heading into the playoffs last year...but they happen to have a more playoff ready team as they try to avenge last years puthetic and uninspired shutout loss to the Huskies.

Players to Watch: Joey Cruikshank, Braydon Hobbs

Future All- Canadians: Chris Czecki, Nick Johansson

Prediction: 4-4

5. Calgary Dinos (4-4/4-5, lost to Alberta in quarterfinal)- As Charles Guedo goes, so goes the dinos as the all important dinos pivot engineers his less than spectacular offence into his 5th and final season. His lone go-to guy will be returning WR David Holowaychuk for an offence that will look to sputter this season unless some unknown players step up. Expect a step back from a franchise heading into the rebuilding stage

Players to watch: Dan Federkeil, Sean Bunting, Chris Wollin

All-Canadians: None noteworthy

Prediction: 2-6

6.Simon Fraser Clan- (3-5 Did not make Playoffs)- After surprising all of CIS in winning their first canada west crown in their expansion season, the team fell backward and realized their fate. Expect this year to be no different. The Clan lose QB J.R. Davies and WR Brendan Mahoney, a significant blow to an offence that relied heavily on those two.They will be replaced by 2 younger players who have been waiting in the ranks but are unproven.

Prediction: 2-6

7. Regina Rams- If you can't say anything good, don't say anything at all. This rule will apply all season long for long-suffering Rams fans who are going through the painful stages of watching a 5 year rebuilding painstakingly arrive at year 2. However, the team has a lot of upside in QB Teale Orban, and many others, but as it stands right now, after an 0-8 season, the team will still struggle and will be lucky if they can maybe just maybe eake out a win. Lets give them the benefit of the doubt

Prediction:1-7

Nothing secretive about this Jive

2005-09-02T21:51:00.000-07:00

Each week, BleacherBuff gets personal with an accomplished athlete from in and around Saskatchewan. This week he interviews Clavet Cougars Running Back Speedster Denly Goodsman.

BB: 3 TD's in one half of football! What was your pre-game meal? Spicy hot wings? You sure looked too hot to handle out there today.

Denly: Yeah man,I just ate a bun and some oranges on the bus.

BB: Give me the in on those oranges and buns dude, looks like a new energy ploy...When your going out on the field before opening kickoff, what are you thinking about? The cheerleaders on the sideline? Your homework? Absolutely nothing?

Denly:Man i was thinking that I had to take it to the house because my coach said he would be disappointed if I didn't

BB: aaaah well as they say, home is where the heart is, and you proved taking it to the house was the main focus.

Denly:haha yeah

BB: How do you feel about having a major part of clavet's championship hopes put largely on your shoulders?

Denly: It is pretty sweet but a big responsibility man

BB: Aside from jiving opponents on the playing field, what music do you most like to jive to on your own?

Denly: Oh definately rap or hip hop...it gets me in the groove before the game....or some good rock tunes

BB: Any superstitions?

Denly: I usually just keep to myself before a game, like an hour before...I'm pretty quiet.

BB: No superstitions just straight up skill and talent...what you see is what you get?

Denly: Yeah man I'm not really superstitious. I just let things flow.

BB: Any words for Nealon Greene as he heads out to engineer an offence suspect to 5 straight losses?

Denly: Oh man not greene haha...yeah I think it's the play calling honestly.

BB:Just take it to the house...

Denly:Exactly, but right now, I am not so sure he is capable of that...throw crandel in is what I say.

BB: Lastly...What trait do you have that most of us wouldn't know about you?

Denly: Oh man umm I like to listen to country music haha.

BB: No secret talent?

Denly: Yeah I am an incredible piano player, just kidding, just kidding.

BB: aaah so none of the secret stuff, just straight up....what you see is what you get.

Denly: Yeah man exactly.

Rideres Game 6 analyisis vs. Ottowa Renegades

2005-08-04T12:08:00.000-07:00

A fine and pleasant misery

Riders perform another "Whoopsy Daisy" against surprising 'Gades

The riders season is much like bed-wetting

In the riders season, the players most often have a swell feeling while their up (but a warning is usually issued to fans to stay in their seats)

In a little kids great nightly adventure of bed-wetting, they most often gather that SWELLED feeling while their still up.

In bed-wetting, it comes slowly but when it eventually arrives there's no way of stopping it, as is the case late in rider games. The other team discharges things our of their (offensive and defensive) systems just as does the yellow stuff that shall remain nameless comes out of ones system during the practice of bed-wetting. Often during their bed-wetting experience, the urinatee' feels they need a change. As does the riders contingent.

Getting that sickening feeling yet?

This is the sickening feeling you should be getting after viewing episode 3 of the roughriders potty accidents last friday night.

Proffessional performers are supposed to do great things throughout a show and then save the best for the last. In front of 25,000 patrons at Taylor Field, the riders without hesitation wet the bedsheet in their 21-16 los to the Renegades. A change has come. A new diaper has been changed. Although these babies may still not be all that comfortable yet...the ever promising duo of shivers and barrett have vowed that this needed to be done.

Goodbye Santino Hall

I thought Santino, when you said that you would join the strip club with me that you were just readying yourself to join the morning comics club. That's the kind of strip i was talking about dummy, where were you? Golly I sure hope you find some good nightclubs in the town the CFL calls the Waivers....

Patience is a virtue....patience by definition is bearing or enduring pain. Us as rider fans are out of patience...patience usually only has to last for a short period of time and then boiling over in anger is acceptable. How many years have we had to be patient? 16 years (89 Grey Cup) and then before that 13 years (1976 home playoff game) and before that 10 years (1966 Grey Cup). Hmmm 39 years of patience...39 years that we could have been doing something else in our lives.

39 years times 18 games(3 hours per game)

=702 games times 3 hours

=2106 hours of futile cheering

Potty training takes how many years? 4? Not sure, but I am sure I still wasn't being potty trained when I was 6 years of age going into kindergarten...6 years is how long the Shivers-Barrett duo have tried and failed to come up with a Grey Cup. Way overdue.

Oh the pain and the negativity we must spout off being rider fans...the sorry state our eyes must go through in a game such as last fridays, no teams fans have gone through as much heartache....

It's great isnt it???

There's no other team i'd rather cheer for. For when any one of you rider fans are wetting the bed...having your patience tested or are wasting precious moments during your lifetime to see grey cup hopes fade to black, think of how great it is to be a rider fan...

3-3 isn't even that bad after all is it?

Up Next: The green machine attempts to BLOCK Quebecious...The Allouettes

Saskatchean Roughriders-Winnipeg Blue Bombers Game Analysis #2

2005-07-08T15:45:00.000-07:00

The Tables Have Now Turned

Win over Bombers shows market of laughing stocks have changed

They say laughter is the best medicine. If that's the case, the Saskatchewan Roughriders and their bandwagon jumping fans (who often obtain sore heels from jumping off it so regularly) have found the perfect cure and are on their way to jolliness for years to come.

Prior to the Saskatchewan Roughriders 42-15 triumph over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, a sudden but short thunderstorm hit Taylor Field leaving the 23,067 patrons in a gloomy mood. Consequently those lightning strikes that imbedded the prairie skies proved to be the Forward of chapter 1 of a roughriders storybook, which hopefully its last chapter ends in a Grey Cup triumph

Backtrack 5 years earlier

The Boys of Wheat were the butt of every joke possible. Fans of the opposing team didn't need to go under the influence of other things to be able to have a good laugh. Beer sales were at an all time low when the riders came to town and it was a gameday, which the bartenders would often dread. Over the years, times have changed. Each and every year, the snickers, guffaws, hoots, hollers and occasional mocks have largely disintegrated. It wasn't until the opening game vs the win-a-pig (or play like one) Blue Bumblers at the sound of the strike of lightning that everyone knew things had changed. Corey Holmes opening kickoff return for a TD was merely the opening line of a 300-page joke book that got everyone chuckling. At this rate, Rider Fans will have produced well-developed 6 packs from exercising their stomach muscles so often. This sad state of a bomber franchise is some thing rider fans have waited for for years. While our kicker may have shanked a field goal that a fan at halftime could have made, at least we will be able to say..."well at least our offence gave us the chance to take that field goal" and while our receivers may have dropped a pass at least we can revert back to the situation in the game where one particular bombers receiver (who seems to never have a good connection) who had 3 cracks at a catch...but to the glee of its rider onlookers allowed it to bounce off its hands 3 times. With unbelievable class (Forget the McCallum situation) and amazing patience ( 1976 since last home playoff game, no teams fans have more patience) we shall not mock the bombers, even as the sorry state of a franchise they are in.

There is the saying "Don't judge someone until you've walked a mile in their shoes." (No folks I am not saying its good becayse you are a mile away from the bombers and have their shoes...no) These bombers are now walking in the 2000 edition of the Riders' shoes, which these same bombers had convulsed over. They are now paying dearly for it.

BleacherBuff

Saskatchewan Roughriders-Winnipeg Blue Bombers game analysis #1

2005-07-08T13:54:00.000-07:00

Wrath of Cheeseburger a blessing in disguise for Riders' Holmes

*Saskatchewan Roughriders Post-game Commentary*

It was a wet, rainy, stormy night in the wake of the upcoming Saskatchewan Roughriders home openor, prompting game officials to postpone the game up to half an hour. Fans were becoming unsettled, agitated and flustered, however there was one other small thing unsettled that would change the face of the game.

In an uncharacteristic turn of events, Saturday night game star Corey Holmes came upon McDonalds to find something as a burst to his kick returning. He ordered and downed a cheeseburger without much hesitation. Once it came time for returning, as he weaved and swerved, juked and jived and turned bomber defenders inside out on 1 kickoff (TD) and punt return (60 yards), he then proceeded to turn himself inside out in the dressing room. It was then that he discharged the remains from his body what may well have been the source of energy that pushed him past the last bomber defender.

Aahhh McDonalds, the one food chain one owner maybe shouldn't consider a sponser...those powerful arches swaying in the dark horizon. There are however some stark contrasts to the negativity surrounding the nations most widely expanding food chain. What was witnessed after the cheesburger scourge from Holmes was similar to a "Quarter Pounder" as the merciless Green and White romped their way to a 16-0 1st quarter lead. "No more burgers man", inputted Holmes despite his immediate and rampant success consisting of 302 yards rushing.

not impressive enough?

Lets just say this highly regarded RB/SB/KR/PR/anything you want him to be: not only did this feat on a wonky stomach, but also high stepped his way to the end zone with the help of some 'fallen arches'

This mishap is a lesson to all who would even consider packing on the calories before taking part in a big sporting event. From now on as I walk closer to the golden arches and a Bacon Double Cheeseburger and triple thick milkshake stand in my way, what will it be? Will I cave into the temptation as a previous game star had just done? The resume' looks quite impressive.......

Uhhh sorry, I think i'll just order the Atkin's diet special please

BleacherBuff

Welcome everyone to bleacherbuff.blogspot.com

2005-07-04T14:43:00.000-07:00

Welcome all viewers to the one and only BleacherBuff Website.

Wow its been awhile in getting this up and running, (preciscly 17 years 200 days) almost feels like a lifetime! Let me pinpoint what the hope is to come onto this blog on the near future.

Look for facts, columns, news, reviews, rants and raves of the sports teams i follow as well as interesting news in the greedy, insane, entertaining, and awe inspiring world of Sport. Though to many sports may just be about boring numbers, confusing rules, and a downright sleeping pill, it is my job on this blog to show to you that there never really is a dull moment in sports and that when 5 married men shun their wives hard work to sit down and talk about the big game, they really aren't just talking to themselves, they are merely educated men who have studied hard to get to this point. Sport is to man what fashion and style are to woman. One cannot stress this enough and with this statement we show how important this is.

So my sport naysayers put yourself in the typical sport geniuses shoes, then maybe you'll see what this is all about. You may also see that when us Sports Buffs say we would love put ourselves in a sports stars shoes (and wholeheartedly believe we can do a better job than the pro's do in a last second situation) it is pretty well all talk and, put in that certain situation we would shrink with fear and become more fragile than a porcelain doll. So sit back and listen to me talk to myself. I, being a qualified spectator can't say I've done it all but have seen it all. In closing, i would like to refer to a quote that I most often resort to when making the case that my siblings sit around while I slave away at work.

"I love love work so much, I could watch people do it all day"

Insert the word 'Sports' in place of 'work' and there you have it.

So criticize, scrutinize, rant, rave or marvel on the following material on this blog if you wish by using the comment thing on the bottom of the page and I look forward to seeing you around.

Yours from the bleachers,

BleacherBuff

Saskatchewan Roughriders Commentary: Game#1

2005-06-24T22:34:00.000-07:00

Gang Green

Look for Riders to run roughshod on hapless Bombers tomorrow

While looking through the Roughriders Insanely deep receiving corps, one crazy and extremely irrelivant thing came upon me as i was waiting standby for the upcoming Riders-Bombers clash at Taylor field Saturday night. Consider this, judging by the birth names of these rampant pigskin huggers the bombers are flirting with a prairie fire....

Dominguez
Elijah (Thurmon)
Abrahim (Tounkara)
Travis (Moore)
Hoffart

Read the fine print...coincidence?? I believe not. This receiving corp and the rest of the rider brass have such quick strike offense and unbreakable defense that the star maimed bombers are liable to collapse....their offense is ready to appear faster than Sask. Farmers on a sunny day and their defense can stone the offense quicker than the farmers chances after the first rain comes (thats quick).

Do i sound a little to0 optimistic?(I reckon so) You as a rider fan can never be optimistic enough (You accusing me boy? I was only the one who drove the truck that had the manure in it that hit the wrong driveway? I did that on purpose so that we would only get a small fine ). This team has gone in 5 years where no team has gone before (5 years is a long time boy what are u talking about?) In 5 years...they have 3 players remaining from their roster (Thank goodness for that). No team has turned it around more than they (5 years is still a long time boy)

To make a long story short....i won't tell the rest ...these voices in my head keep urging me to say the negative...to go aginst the great work that has been done...this is a championship calibre team folks...and this is the very reason i am up at 1 AM to finish this off in short order...this team is special and should be followed every step of the way.

Oh and by the by...I forgot to mention the game..........

No analysis needed

The Lowdown: Riders----Fast,Experienced,Driven,Home team, Hungry,....... Bombers------Thin Depth,Inexperienced, slow, No Name brand players......

Prediction: Riders 30 Bombers 19