Just a few thoughts as I watch the Hall-less Oilers play the Calgary Flames.
Check out Boston Bruins coach Claude Julien get thrown out of a recent game.
Claude Julien ejected (sorry, I can’t figure out how to embed it).
Now, I was a referee 15 years ago and I’ve read enough of Kerry Fraser’s blogs to know that the referees in the National Hockey League get yelled at a lot. To get thrown out of a game you must have had to say some pretty filthy and insulting things.
For instance:
A few thoughts as I watch Craig Ferguson’s Doctor Who special.
Just finished watching the Oilers first game of the regular season. There are going to be better synopses and analysis across the Internet but especially at anysportanytime.ca.
Here are just a couple of thoughts from an unabashed Oiler fan:
- That Kris Letang is a perfectly good replacement for birds with injured wings Sidney Crosby and Evgeni (apparently everyone is calling him Geno in the media now) Malkin.
- Brent Johnson got an unfair shake tonight. He played great, showed a lot of confidence and I really expected him to get the win.
- Good for Ryan Nugent-Hopkins for getting that first goal. He played great and although that goal will be what defines that game for many people, I was really impressed with his passing.
- Ryan Smyth better not get suspended for his major penalty at the end of the game.
- Devyn Dubnyk looked great. He was pretty solid and I bet he wants that one goal back.
- Andy Sutton was pretty impressive. I hope he can look that good the rest of the season.
A few thoughts as I listen to Rush’s entire 2112 album.
I always love this time of year because of the anticipation of what kind of year it’s going to be for the Edmonton Oilers.
Since the minute their season ended I’ve been dreaming about trades, free-agent signings, draft picks, starting goaltenders and line combinations. There are so many unknowns to the lineup and right now, the hype in my head has all of those unknowns turning out as best-case scenarios.
It’s like waiting for the new EAsports NHL game to come out each year. You want to see what new changes they’ve made, how much your favourite players have increased in their ratings and it’s an early way to see what other people (those who come up with the ratings for instance) think about your team. I always think that I can win the cup with the Oilers and their opening day lineups.
I also love this time of year because this is the only time where I expect to see the entire A-squad out for the Oilers. Usually (not this year) all of the players on the roster are healthy and have had an entire off-season (longer than 16 other teams) to recover and regroup from last season.
A few random thoughts – sports as a lifestyle
These are just a few random thoughts as I watch the Yankees beat the crap out of the Tigers on Tuesday night. Apologies to my friend Jim Kerr for stealing his random thoughts idea.
- I was sitting at my desk writing about a wheelchair basketball athlete this Sunday for a magazine I’ve been with for a couple of years. I was on a roll and in the zone, well on pace to finish this article only a couple of weeks past its due date.
All of a sudden the sound of a whistle pierced my concentration. My brother was having a nap on the couch and had the Sunday NFL games on while he was trying to sleep. At that point, I realized that I had been, in the background, listening to the sounds of whistles, colour commentators and play-by-play guys, referees and way-to-loud-commercials all day.
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Another week has come and gone in the world of sports, which has given us plenty of material for another episode of “15 Minutes of Fame!”
This week, Geoff Driscoll & I discuss another crushing defeat for the Washington Capitals in the NHL playoffs and what it might mean for that team in terms of personnel changes, as well as what the Philadelphia Flyers needs to address during the offseason and the latest in the Phoenix Coyotes saga.
In the GABBYs: MLB no-hitters, rock solid goalies, NBA awards and soccer theatrics!
Want an .mp3 version of this week’s video? Here you go!
Subscribe to our podcast! It’s an audio version of our video for those who can’t watch YouTube videos at work, or who want to hear us on your portable music devices.
There’s a lot more after the jump. Click “continue reading.” ———————>
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The “15 Minutes of Fame” boys are back in the saddle for another go-round, taking a look at the best and worst from the world of sports in the past seven days! This week, Geoff Driscoll & Jim Kerr are recapping the first round of the NHL playoffs (the biggest surprise, most interesting storyline and the best moment) and UFC 129, while trying to figure out what’s happening in the NFL lockout.
In the GABBYs: MLB streaks, NHL celebrations, red cards, NBA upsets & lots more! In Quick Hits: Patrick Chan is at the top of the figure skating world, but how good is Kerrzy’s quad?
Check it out:
There’s a lot more after the jump. Click “continue reading.” ———————>
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This week Geoff & Jim are talking playoff hockey after NHL disciplinarian Colin Campbell called his job “thankless” this past week, and we discuss the future of the Phoenix Coyotes after they were bounced from the postseason — are they moving? In the GABBYs: Stoke makes the FA Cup final, Corey Crawford contributes offensively, former players have front office success and lots more!
Check it out:
More after the jump:
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This week, the guys talk about the Edmonton Oilers and the fact that they won the first overall pick in the 2011 NHL entry draft. They go over four possible candidates who may be picked by the Oilers.
Then, in the GABBYs – On the good side: The New Jersey Devils go from laughing stock to relatively respectable, the National Hockey League sticks to their guns on suspensions, and Edmonton Oilers Jordan Eberle and Devyn Dubnyk are going to the world championships.
On the bad side: Detroit Pistons Charlie Villanueva acts like a child on the court, Texas Rangers outfieler Josh Hamilton breaks his arm, and the Colombian soccer player who kicked an owl upgrades to kicking someone in the chest. HONORABLE MENTION: Kobe Bryant gets $100,000 fine.
In Quick Hits: Now that the NHL playoffs are underway, who does Kerrzy think can make it all the way?
Check it out:
There’s a lot more after the jump. Click “continue reading.” ———————>
And the first overall pick in the 2011 National Hockey League draft goes to – The Edmonton Oilers.
Now that we’re done with that, the questions begin. Do you remember the Taylor vs Tyler debate of the 2010 NHL draft? I remember a feverish, life-or-death set of debates on the Internet, near the water cooler at work, on my Facebook wall and in the newspaper.
Will we see the same type of debate in the next few months between the two top-touted players Adam Larsson and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins? Likely so, but the biggest difference between this year and last year is that Taylor and Tyler both play forward. Either of those players could have made an impact in the same type of way on the Oilers lineup.
Going into the 2011 draft, the Oilers will have to choose based on position. Do they need a big, powerful defender who can run a power play and has been compared to Kerrzy-favourite Nicklas Lidstrom? Or do they need a potential first-line centreman who might not be ready for the NHL right now but has a huge upside.
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This week on 15 Minutes of Fame, the boys talk about the NHL and the Washington Capitals and their depth going into the playoffs this year. They discuss the Caps goal tending situation and who they would put in net if they were the coach.
Then, they discuss what the Edmonton Oilers have to play for even though they are out of the playoffs.
In this week’s GABBYs: On the good side – Joe Sakic and the Colorado Avalanche, the NHL dishes out a big suspension to Matt Cooke and Sidney Crosby is up and skating again. On the bad side – the Predator’s Ryan Suter scores a great goal against his own team, Marc Savard is having memory problems and Tiger Woods comes out with an app.
In Quick Hits, come and join Jim and Geoffrey at the Beer Hunter’s west end location in Edmonton on Saturday, April 2nd for a live sports hot stove. If you can’t make it, make sure to check us out streaming live on http://www.anysportanytime.ca.
Check it out:
There’s a lot more after the jump. Click “continue reading.” ———————>
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This week on 15 Minutes of Fame, the boys talk about the NHL and the general manager meetings they had where they talked about curbing head shots and concussions in hockey.
They go over the NHL’s five-point plan for concussions and then ask, “is it enough?”
In this week’s GABBYs on the good side – NCAA basketball upsets, Steve Stamkos telling the truth and Jarome Iginla. On the bad side – the NHL only gives Patric Hornqvist a $2500 fine, Man City’s Mario Balotelli has some trouble putting on a pinny and the NHL’s Colorado Avalanche goes into a tailspin.
In Quick Hits: the Vancouver Whitecaps play Canadian rivals Toronto FC for the first time in the MLS, and should Halifax have a CFL team?
Check it out:
There’s a lot more after the jump. Click “continue reading.” ———————>
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It’s Monday and that means a new 15 Minutes of Fame video for your enjoyment.
This week, the boys talk about Zdeno Chara and the vicious hit he laid on Max Pacioretty. Kerrzy then talks about the ridiculousness of Via Rail and Air Canada threatening to boycott the NHL if they don’t do something about protecting the players.
In this week’s GABBYs: Good – The Miami Heat end “crygate,” Bettman’s response to Air Canada and the tight NHL playoff race. Bad – Kevin Martin loses at the Brier and is forced to play for third spot, the NFL locks out its players and a QMJHL player was suspended for a racial slur.
In Quick Hits: Canada cricket comes through at the world cup and NCAA march madness starts next week. Do you have the fever?
Check it out:
Lot’s more after the jump. Click “continue reading.” ———————>
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It’s Monday and that means a new 15 Mintues of Fame video for you folks.
This week, Jim and Geoffrey talk about the bad luck the Edmonton Oilers are having this year with injuries, including the fight that Taylor Hall had earlier this week.
They also talk a little about the NBA trying to reach the game across the pond to London by having two of the worst teams go over and play.
In this week’s GABBYs: Good – Taylor Hall’s fight, Ilya Kovalchuk’s game winners and Calgary Flames’ goaltender Miikka Kiprusoff. On the bad side – Carmelo Anthony and the Knicks lose again, the Miami Heat are spiraling downward and in college ball, a player for the BYU team gets suspended for having sex.
In Quick Hits: Is the NFL going to lockout its players? Mike Weir loses his PGA tour card and Jim and Geoff are hosting a live roundtable hotstove in a month.
Check it out: (edit – March 9 – now with actual embedded video)
Lot’s more after the jump. Click “continue reading.” ———————>
Well, it looks as though this will be the first week in the past long while not to have a 15 Minutes of Fame video.
Due to technical difficulties, the audio won’t load onto YouTube this week.
I’m dumbfounded (if you can believe it), on how to make this work. If anybody has any ideas, please leave them in the comment section.
If you want to see a fantastic exchange between a wordless Geoff and a fantastic Jim, please click on the link below. It’s kind of eerie, but it’s fun either way.
For coverage on the NHL trade deadline, of which you can be sure I gave expert analysis, click on Kerrzy’s deadline day blog or on Jeremy’s blog.
Again, apologies to our loyal viewer(s) and we’ll be back next week. In the meantime, click on that banner on the top of your screen. I’ll wait…
Jim and I will be hosting a live streaming blog there on April 2nd. Come out and join us. It’ll be a blast.
Thanks again,
GEOFF
EDIT: March 2nd – Seems like Kerrzy did an end-run around me and decided to dub over all my silent points with his own version of what he thought I said. Pretty funny stuff. Check it out.
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Geoff has had a love of journalism ever since he was a paperboy for the Edmonton Journal at age 12. Growing up, he played sports like volleyball, basketball, ice hockey, roller hockey and even badminton. He decided to go to journalism school after spending five seasons as a forest firefighter with the Alberta Government. In school he covered events like the Women's World Cup of Rugby, which whet his appetite for sports reporting. His internship and subsequent position at the Stony Plain Reporter and Spruce Grove Examiner allowed him to cover different hockey, football, baseball and golf events around the Parkland County area. Geoff is a regulare contributor to the Prospect Magazine and is looking forward to blogging on Any Sport Any Time as a way to further his love of sports journalism.
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