Happy Monday!
This week on the show we’re looking at the Stanley Cup Finals, the latest news on the Phoenix Coyotes ownership situation, another boxing controversy and some sad news in the world of horse racing.
In the GABBYs: Union Rags, Charlie Sheen, Chad Ochocinco, the AHL, the San Diego Padres and the NBA. The Punchline this week is Elvin Ramirez.
For the second time on Saturday, a Green scored the game winning goal.
Last night, Josh Green followed up Mike Green’s game winner for the Washington Capitals, with a game winning goal of his own as the Oklahoma City Barons, the top minor-league affiliate of the Edmonton Oilers, defeated the San Antonio Rampage 5-4 in overtime.
The Western Conference Semi-Final series is now tied 1-1. The Rampage are the AHL affiliate of the Florida Panthers.
Several Barons had multi-point games. Green and Magnus Paajarvi each scored a goal and an assist, while defencemen Bryan Rodney and Dylan Yeo and right winger Tyler Pitlick each had two assists. Defenceman Alex Plante was also strong as he was a +3.
Happy Monday!
This week on 15MOF we discuss the latest news surrounding Oilers forward Taylor Hall, as well as another story that has left the team a bit red in the face. Also on the show – we discuss whether the Toronto Maple Leafs will be the next NHL team to fire a GM and we look at the latest “bounty” news from the NFL.
In the GABBYs: the Norfolk Admirals, Jamie Moyer, Sidney Crosby, Colin Clark, Reebok & March Madness. The Punchline this week is Beach Volleyball!
Is fighting about to go the way of the red line in the National Hockey League?
With all the talk about headshots and concussions around pro sports these days, we all knew the topic was going to at least come up a few times. Add to that the fact that the league lost three ‘enforcer’ type players over the summer, and it became a perfect storm of sorts for the discussion to be had.
On one side of the debate, you’ve got the people who will argue that fighting is a part of the game and taking it out would just make the sport soft. Others will point out that the role of the enforcer is quickly evaporating and a lot of fights are pre-arranged and have little to no effect on the momentum of a game.
Both sides are right, to a certain extent: fighting is a pretty big part of the game, and has been for ages, but the game would probably be just fine without it.
The other layer to the argument is the one that the NHL is now looking into, and that is the injury side of the equation.
Brendan Shanahan, the NHL’s senior vice president of player safety, confirmed to the CBC on Thursday that they’ll be examining whether or not fighting still has a place in the game… (more…)
Craig MacTavish (Eric Miller, Reuters Images)
After being in the hunt for coaching vacancies with the Winnipeg Jets and Minnesota Wild, Craig MacTavish has decided to coach in the American Hockey League in 2011-12 rather than return to the broadcast booth.
MacTavish will be the head coach of the Chicago Wolves, the primary farm team affiliate of the Vancouver Canucks.
Ironically, with the movement of the Atlanta Thrashers to Winnipeg, it has caused significant movement in the American Hockey League. The Chicago Wolves used to be the affiliate of the Thrashers, but are now affiliated with the Canucks. While the Manitoba Moose, formerly the Canucks’ affiliate, have moved to St. John’s Newfoundland and are the Jets’ affiliate.
Like the situation in Vancouver, where Abbotsford hosts the Calgary Flames’ AHL affiliate, it doesn’t make much sense that minor professional hockey fans in Chicago now have to cheer for a franchise affiliated with the Vancouver Canucks (currently one of Chicago’s top rivals) in their own city. If the NHL is trying to cut costs, why aren’t the Abbotsford Heat linked to the Canucks and Wolves linked to the Blackhawks?
Sorry for digressing.
MacTavish, who coached the Edmonton Oilers to the 2006 Stanley Cup Finals, obviously had coaching back in his blood, and should be a solid asset to young Canucks’ prospects in Chicago.
With Jim Playfair now an associate coach in Phoenix, the Calgary Flames needed to find a new head coach for their American Hockey League affiliate in Abbotsford.
On Thursday, Flames management made a decision.
Troy Ward will take over the head coaching duties. Ward spent last year as Playfair’s assistant. The Abbotsford Heat went 38-32-10, finishing in tenth place in the Western Conference.
Ward, from Minnesota, spent the previous three seasons (2007-10) as an assistant coach of the Houston Aeros, the American Hockey League affiliate of the Minnesota Wild. Ward also has three years of coaching experience in the NHL, as he was an assistant for the Pittsburgh Penguins from 1997-2000.
For the second time today, a National Hockey League franchise named a head coach with no prior coaching experience in the NHL.
The Dallas Stars named Glen Gulutzan their 21st head coach in franchise history on Friday. Earlier in the day, the Minnesota Wild named Mike Yeo as the third head coach in their franchise.
Gulutzan, coached the Las Vegas Wranglers in the East Coast Hockey League from 2003-09, and the Texas Stars of the American Hockey League from 2009-11.
Like Yeo, Gulutzan has coached a team to the Calder Cup Final.
In 2010, the Texas Stars lost to the Hershey Bears 4-2 in the Calder Cup Final, with Gulutzan being behind the bench.
If the Phoenix Coyotes have, in fact, played their last game in Glendale, Wednesday night’s loss was a fitting finale to what has been a nasty, yet productive couple of years in the desert.
It all started with the team going bankrupt back in 2009 and ending up as property of the NHL after a long, drawn-out battle in the courts. As potential deal after potential deal fell through for one reason or another, talk of relocation heated up and the distractions grew large for the team. Despite that, the Phoenix Coyotes won 93 games over those past two seasons and, at times, looked like one of the better clubs in the league.
Wednesday night was a fitting end though… (more…)
Who knew Brent Johnson was a masher?!
The Pittsburgh Penguins backup made 20 stops in a 3-0 win over the NY Islanders on Wednesday night at the Consol Energy Center, but failed to earn his second shutout of the season. Why, you ask?
Somebody turned the “Lights Out” with less than 17 seconds to go!
It all started when Pens forward Matt Cooke bumped into Islanders goalie Rick DiPietro late in the game, which led to some pushing and shoving in the NY zone. It also led to Brent Johnson taking a leisurely skate down the ice to have a little chat with his fellow netminder. (Video, plus more goalie fights after the jump!) (more…)
Loading ...
|
Edmonton Sports Blog – Any Sport Any Time is proudly powered by
WordPress
|
 |
