Author Archive
Thursday, May 23rd, 2013
Patrick Roy (Rick Dikeman, Wikimedia Commons)
The Colorado Avalanche have named their former all-star goaltender, Patrick Roy, as their next head coach.
Roy replaces Joe Sacco, who was let go on April 28. This is the first significant move by former Colorado Avalanche star Joe Sakic, who was recently promoted to Colorado’s Executive Vice-President of Hockey Operations and to assist general manager Greg Sherman.
Since retiring, Roy has spent eight seasons as the part-owner, head coach and general manager of the Quebec Remparts of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. In 2006, Roy led the Remparts to a Memorial Cup championship.
Interestingly with today’s announcement, Roy is the only current head coach in the National Hockey League who was a NHL goaltender.
And Roy was not your average goalie by any means. The hall of famer won three Conn Smythe Trophies, three Vezina Trophies and played in 11 NHL All-Star Games. He also has the most playoff wins by a goaltender with 151.
Tags: colorado avalanche, greg sherman, Joe Sakic, patrick roy, quebec remparts
Posted in NHL |
Thursday, May 23rd, 2013
We now know the playoff scenario in the 2013 Mastercard Memorial Cup in Saskatoon.
The Saskatoon Blades play the London Knights in the third place tie-breaker tonight, with the winner playing the Portland Winterhawks in the semi-final on Friday, with the winner of the semi-final matchup playing the Halifax Mooseheads in the championship game on Sunday.
Last night the Winterhawks moved into second place with a 4-2 win over the Blades in the final night of round robin play. Nicolas Petan of Delta, British Columbia led Portland in scoriong with two assists.
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Tags: brendan leipsic, chase de leo, halifax mooseheads, nicolas petan, portland winterhawks, saskatoon blades, ty rattie
Posted in More, Western Hockey League |
Thursday, May 23rd, 2013
LeBron James (Keith Allison, Wikimedia Commons)
The Miami Heat may not have played their best basketball Wednesday night in south Florida, but were good enough to win.
LeBron James scored a game winning layup with no time left on the clock to give the Heat a 103-102 overtime win over the Indiana Pacers in game one of the Eastern Conference Final.
One could argue that this was as good of a game the Pacers could have possibly played. The Pacers stuck with the Heat the entire night. Pacers shooting guard Paul George even made a remarkable three point shot from long range with seven tenths of a second left in regulation time to force overtime.
Then in the extra period, George made three free throws after being fouled by Dwyane Wade to give Indiana a 102-101 lead with 2.2 seconds left in overtime.
But with minimal time left on the clock, James breezed past the Indiana defense with ease to give the Heat the early series lead. James meanwhile ended the game with a triple double–30 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds.
Tags: indiana pacers, LeBron James, Miami Heat, paul george
Posted in NBA |
Thursday, May 23rd, 2013
Kris Letang (Michael Miller, Wikimedia Commons)
The Pittsburgh Penguins had no problems scoring whatsoever in game four of the Eastern Conference semi-final against the Ottawa Senators Wednesday evening.
The Penguins score seven times past the two Senators goalies of Craig Anderson and Robin Lehner en route to a convincing 7-3 victory to take a 3-1 series lead.
Defenceman Kris Letang led the Penguins offensive attack with four assists. James Neal was a force with two goals on nine shots, and an assist. While Jarome Iginla, Sidney Crosby and Pascal Dupuis also had multi-point games, with two points each.
The Senators meanwhile do not seem to have any confidence. Captain Daniel Alfredsson stated afterwards, he didn’t think the Senators would be able to put together three wins in a row and come back and win the series. He later stated his words were taken out of context. That backtrack however does not seem all that believable.
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Tags: james neal, jarome iginla, kris letang, Ottawa Senators, pascal dupuis, Pittsburgh Penguins, Sidney Crosby
Posted in NHL |
Wednesday, May 22nd, 2013
According to CBC Sports, the Vancouver Canucks have fired head coach Alain Vigneault.
The news should not come as a huge surprise because many were anticipating major changes in Vancouver after the Canucks were swept by the San Jose Sharks in the Western Conference quarterfinal.
Expectations in the postseason were high this year in Vancouver after the Canucks seeked redemption. They were eliminated in the first round last year by the Los Angeles Kings, only a year after reaching the seventh game of the Stanley Cup Final in 2011.
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Tags: alain vigneault, Vancouver Canucks
Posted in NHL |
Wednesday, May 22nd, 2013
Brian Urlacher (Wikimedia Commons)
One of the best linebackers in the National Football League has announced his retirement from professional football.
On Wednesday Brian Urlacher, who for the last 13 years, has been a dynamic force on the Chicago Bears’ defense, declared he did not feel he could perform at a very high level this upcoming season.
Urlacher, 34, was the 2000 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, 2005 NFL Defensive Player of the Year and an eight time Pro Bowl player.
However it was clear that injuries caught up to Urlacher. This past year a hamstring injury kept him out for a quarter of the season.
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Tags: brian urlacher, chicago bears, dwight freeney, greg jennings, indianapolis colts, minnesota vikings, san diego chargers
Posted in NFL |
Wednesday, May 22nd, 2013
Andy Sutton (Sarah Connors, Wikimedia Commons)
According to TSN, Edmonton Oilers defenceman Andy Sutton has announced his retirement at the age of 38.
Sutton, had three goals and seven assists in 2011-12 for the Oilers and then missed all of 2012-13 after undergoing knee surgery.
Sutton played 13 NHL seasons with the San Jose Sharks, Minnesota Wild, Atlanta Thrashers, New York Islanders, Ottawa Senators, Anaheim Ducks and Oilers, with 2011-12 being his only year in Edmonton.
Sutton was acquired by the Edmonton Oilers from the Anaheim Ducks for Kurtis Foster on July 1, 2011.
A native of Kingston, Ontario, considered by many a hockey hot bed, Sutton had his best seasons with the Thrashers where he had 67 points over a span of three seasons from 2003-2006. He was also a +5 on the Thrashers blueline during that time, impressive when one can recall that the Atlanta/Winnipeg Jets franchise has only made the playoffs once (2007).
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Tags: anaheim ducks, andy sutton, atlanta thrashers, Edmonton Oilers, kurtis foster, minnesota wild, new york islanders, Ottawa Senators, San Jose Sharks, winnipeg jets
Posted in NHL |
Wednesday, May 22nd, 2013
The San Jose Sharks have evened their series with the Los Angeles Kings 2-2 in the Western Conference semi-finals with a 2-1 win Tuesday night, but not without controversy.
On Tuesday evening, with the Sharks leading 2-0 in the second period, the Kings had a shot from the point from defenceman Slava Voynov, that was redirected by rookie Tyler Toffoli and into the net past Sharks goaltender Antti Niemi.
However, the play was inadvertedly whistled dead. Kings veteran Dustin Penner argued the call, but to no avail.
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Tags: boston bruins, bud selig, los angeles kings, new york rangers, San Jose Sharks, tyler toffoli
Posted in NHL |
Wednesday, May 22nd, 2013
Tim Duncan (Keith Allison, Wikimedia Commons)
The San Antonio Spurs found out they will have to play a full 48 minutes to beat the Memphis Grizzlies in the NBA playoffs.
On Tuesday night in Texas, the Spurs had a 72-54 third quarter lead, only to see the Grizzlies march back and force overtime with a great fourth quarter. The Spurs however hung on to win with a 93-89 victory to take a 2-0 series lead in the Western Conference Final.
Three-time NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Tim Duncan led the Spurs with 17 points. It wa a bounce back game for the two-time NBA MVP who will be a future first ballot Hall of Famer, as Duncan only scored six points in game one of the series.
The big news however is regarding the health of Spurs star point guard Tony Parker, who is having a MRI on his calf. The injury didn’t effect Parker’s passing ability last night as he had a career-best 18 assists.
Tags: memphis grizzlies, san antonio spurs, tim duncan, tony parker
Posted in NBA |
Wednesday, May 22nd, 2013
The Halifax Mooseheads are looking more and more like the team to beat at the 2013 Mastercard Memorial Cup. All they basically need is a day of rest in between games, something they will receive throughout the rest of the tournament.
On Tuesday evening, Martin Frk, probably the greatest hockey player ever without a vowel in his last name, registered three goals and an assist as the Mooseheads gave a beat down to the London Knights in a 9-2 win.
In beating the Knights by a converted touchdown last night in Saskatoon, the Mooseheads improve to 2-1 for the week and have clinched a spot in at least the semi-final.
If Portland defeats Saskatoon tonight, the Mooseheads will finish first and go directly to the final Sunday night. However if the Blades beat the Winterhawks, Saskatoon will finish in first place, in what many would consider a major surprise for the round robin portion of the tournament.
Tags: halifax mooseheads, london knights, martin frk, memorial cup, saskatoon blades
Posted in Amateur Sports, More |
Tuesday, May 21st, 2013
Vinny Del Negro (KeIth Allison, Wikimedia Commons)
Despite leading the Los Angeles Clippers to 56 wins this season, it appears the Clippers do not plan to bring back their head coach Vinny Del Negro in 2013-14.
According to a report by Yahoo! Sports on Tuesday, Del Negro will not be offered a contract. Quite simply, the Clippers are making a decision they are notorious for making throughout the history of their franchise–a decision that sets them considerably back rather than forward. Apparently just finishing 30 games above .500 during the regular season is not good enough to keep your job.
There is no question that Del Negro is the best coaching candidate on the market right now and the Raptors to get him, they will have to act fast.
Today the Raptors announced that general manager Bryan Colangelo will no longer make basketball decisions and named him team president. New Chief Executive Officer Tim Leiweke now has the responsibility to find a new general manager. However the decision may have to come sooner rather than later if it means bringing in Del Negro and firing Dwayne Casey.
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Tags: bryan colangelo, Los ANgeles Clippers, tim leiweke, Toronto Raptors, vinny del negro
Posted in NBA |
Tuesday, May 21st, 2013
For the second consecutive year all four teams in the Memorial Cup have identical records after the fourth day of competition.
On Monday night in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Airdrie raised Ty Rattie, the top prospect of the St. Louis Blues, registered a three point night (two goals and one assist) as the Portland Winterhawks defeated the London Knights 6-3.
It was also a great evening for three Winterhawk players defensively. Defencemen Seth Jones who is projected to be drafted first overall in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft, Calgary Flames prospect Tyler Wotherspoon and left winger Taylor Leier all were a +4.
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Tags: london knights, memorial cup, portland winterhawks, seth jones, taylor leier, ty rattie, tyler wotherspoon
Posted in More, Western Hockey League |
Tuesday, May 21st, 2013
The Detroit Red Wings have taken the lead on the Chicago Blackhawks in the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Monday evening at Joe Louis Arena, Jimmy Howard made 39 saves as Detroit beat Chicago 3-1 to take a 2-1 series lead in the Western Conference semi-final.
The story of the series right now is the lack of energy and mojo throughout the Blackhawks lineup the last two games. The Red Wings are having a significant amount of more positive energy and flow throughout their entire lineup.
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Tags: Chicago Blackhawks, detroit red wings, drew miller, gustav nyquist, jimmy howard
Posted in NHL |
Monday, May 20th, 2013
We have our first significant surprise at the 2013 Memorial Cup. Just when you thought that the Halifax Mooseheads would be the class of the field at the annual national major junior hockey championship, they looked like a team that was playing their second game of a back-to-back on Sunday night.
Sunday was a time for the host crowd of Saskatoon to cheer, as the Saskatoon Blades defeated the Mooseheads 5-2. It was their first win since beating the Edmonton Oil Kings in a shootout on March 12 and their first regulation win since beating the Medicine Hat Tigers 6-3 on March 8. Interestingly, it was the Tigers that swept the Blades in the first round of the 2013 WHL playoffs.
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Tags: halifax mooseheads, matej stransky, medicine hat tigers, memorial cup, saskatoon blades
Posted in More, Western Hockey League |
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