Happy Monday!
This week on the show we’re looking at the second round of the NHL playoffs, the Roberto Luongo situation in Vancouver, some racist comments from Boston Bruins “fans” in reaction to Joel Ward’s series clinching overtime winner and the latest IIHF rankings.
In the GABBYs: Mark Visentin, the Edmonton Oil Kings, Tyrone Crawford, Mohamed Sanu, the Miami Marlins and a couple of Texas Rangers fans. The Punchline this week is the Charlotte Bobcats!
We’ve all seen what a Gongshow the first round of the NHL playoffs has been, but there is some crazy stuff happening in the ranks of the CHL these days as well!
First off, let’s give a shout out to the WHL’s Edmonton Oil Kings. Not only have they won every game they’ve played so far in this year’s playoffs, but they’re also the only unbeaten playoff team left in the entire Canadian Hockey League!
If you think 11-0 is impressive, I’ve got another one for you – the Oil Kings are now riding a 22-game win streak into game four against the Moose Jaw Warriors, with their last loss coming over two months ago. Not bad, eh?
Not to be outdone, the OHL’s East Final has had a couple of noteworthy moments so far as well… (more…)
It might not have been the medal that Team Canada had hoped for, but the Canadian National Junior Hockey team salvaged some hardware Thursday afternoon in Calgary with a 4-0 win over Finland at the World Junior Hockey Championships at the Scotiabank Saddledome.
In winning the game, Team Canada won the Bronze medal and recorded a medal at the World Junior Hockey Championships for a 14th consecutive year.
Canadian goaltender Mark Visentin made 27 saves for the shutout, including an outstanding save on a penalty shot in the second period and a remarkable glove save early in the third period. Quinton Howden of Oakbank, Manitoba scored twice, while Tanner Pearson and Mark Scheifele, who each play for the Barrie Colts in the Ontario Hockey League, recorded a goal and an assist.
Freddie Hamilton of the Niagara IceDogs also recorded a multi-point game with two assists.
Team Russia plays Team Sweden for the Gold medal this evening at 6pm.
Team Canada got off to an excellent start at the 2012 World Junior Hockey Championships in Edmonton and Calgary.
Mark Stone of the Brandon Wheat Kings, a draft pick of the Ottawa Senators notched a hat trick and Jonathan Huberdeau, the reigning Memorial Cup MVP, notched a goal and four assists as Canada pounded Finland by a score of 8-1.
Mark Visentin was solid in between the Canadian pipes making 24 saves on 25 shots.
The play of Stone was very impressive in this one, as twice he took passes from Huberdeau, standing behind the Finnish net and accurately placed the puck past Finnish goaltender Christopher Gibson.
Ryan Strome also was prolific offensively with a goal and three assists.
If there was one weakness Monday in Edmonton, it was the play of Oil King Mark Pysyk. The local defenceman didn’t so much in blocking the shot from Alexander Ruuttu (son of former Buffalo Sabre Christian Ruuttu) who scored Finland’s only goal, and took a dumb hooking penalty in the third period.
The Canadian team is also anxiously waiting to hear the status of Devante Smith-Pelly, who left the game in the second period after blocking a shot.
Canada next plays the Czech Republic on Wednesday night.
Quinton Howden (Wikimedia Commons)
The Team Canada roster was announced for the 2012 World Junior Hockey Championships in Calgary and Edmonton on Wednesday.
Mark Pysyk, a 19 year-old defenceman for the Edmonton Oil Kings, from Sherwood Park, Alberta is the only Alberta native on the roster and only player currently playing on an Alberta based junior team . Pysyk, was Buffalo’s 1st round draft pick, 23rd overall in the 2010 draft. So far this season, he has two goals and 16 assists in 25 games played in the Western Hockey League.
Other notables are four returning players–forwards Brett Connolly, Quinton Howden and Jaden Schwartz and goaltender Mark Visentin.
Connolly is one of two players currently playing in the National Hockey League that made Team Canada. So far this season, he has four goals and four assists with the Tampa Bay Lightning. The other NHL player is Devante Smith-Pelly, who has three goals and two assists in 26 games with the Anaheim Ducks.
Hockey Canada has hired a former Edmonton Oiler netminder as their full-time goalie coach.
On Wednesday, the Associated Press reported that Ron Tugnutt will work and scout with the goaltenders on Canada’s National Men’s hockey teams.
Tugnutt’s first major assignment will be to work with the Canadian goaltenders being considered for the 2012 World Junior Hockey Championship that starts Boxing Day in Edmonton as Canada takes on Finland. Among those that were invited to the development camp in Edmonton were Tyler Bunz of St. Albert, Alberta (with the Medicine Hat Tigers and a draft pick of the Edmonton Oilers), Louis Domingue of Mont St.-Hilare, Quebec (with the Quebec Ramparts and a draft pick of the Phoenix Coyotes), Mark Visentin of Waterdown, Ontario (with the Niagara Ice Dogs and a draft pick of the Phoenix Coyotes) and Scott Wedgewood of Brampton, Ontario (with the Plymouth Whalers and draft pick of the New Jersey Devils).
Visentin has the inside track of being the number one goalie for 2012, but struggled at the 2011 World Junior Hockey Championships in Buffalo, as he gave up five third period goals in a 5-3 loss by Canada to Russia in the Gold medal game.
Wow, I didn’t see that coming…
After the first two periods of Wednesday’s World Junior Hockey Championship gold medal game it looked like it was going to be Canada’s night, but as Ryan Ellis and company found out…looks can be deceiving!
A fired up Russian squad scored three times in five minutes to tie the game near the start of the third period, including two goals that came just eleven seconds apart. They put the game away with two more in the closing five, virtually stealing the title out of the hands of the waiting Canadians and stunning the thousands of fans in attendance.
Who would have thought that Canada, coming off a huge win over the United States and playing in a tenth straight final, would fall to pieces like that?
As I write this, hours after the final whistle, I’m still shocked by what I saw! Canada seemed to have it in the bag after two relatively dominant periods and then just fell flat. So what happened out there? (more…)
Jared Cowen (Wikimedia Commons)
One of the biggest annual sporting events on every Canadian sports’ fan calendar is tonight– the World Junior Hockey Championship Gold Medal final.
Canada is playing Russia this year in Buffalo, New York.
Team Canada is coming off an impressive 4-1 victory over the United States and Russia defeated Sweden 4-3 in a shootout Monday.
Canada probably played their best game of the tournament to date. Canada was able to show off their physicality more than the Americans showed their speed.
The Canadian defense, led by Jared Cowen, deserve significant credit for limiting the American chances. Canada out shot the United States 41-23.
Seven of those shots came by Oiler draft pick Curtis Hamilton, who has had an excellent World Junior Hockey Championship to date.
Ryan Johansen (Wikimedia Commons)
Canada is now off to the semi-finals of the World Junior Hockey Championship.
On Sunday, Brayden Schenn recorded two assists as Canada defeated Switzerland 4-1 in their quarterfinal game in Buffalo.
The win now means Canada will play the United States in the semi-final this evening (5:30pm, TSN).
Expect Mark Visentin to get a second consecutive start. He looked awful on the one Swiss goal that was scored. He didn’t put his right pad up to the post, allowing for an opening for the puck to get by him. Then in the second period, Visentin had a complete mental lapse as he thought there was a Switzerland penalty and went off the ice, when in fact there was a Canadian one. Luckily Visentin’s lapse didn’t cost Canada a goal on that occasion.
Curtis Hamilton (Tom Szczerbowski, Getty Images)
On Friday you can simply put it– one Oiler prospect was rock solid, and the other was horrendously awful for Canada in their 6-5 shootout loss to Sweden at the World Junior Hockey Championships in Buffalo Friday.
Being in the New Year’s spirit, let’s take a look at the good first.
Curtis Hamilton of the Saskatoon Blades, the Oilers’ 4th choice, 48th overall in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, probably had his best game of the tournament to date. He scored twice and had great chemistry with teammates Ryan Johansen and Brayden Schenn.
Olivier Roy (Wikimedia Commons)
The World Junior Hockey Championships start today in Buffalo.
Unlike most years, Canada will be tested significantly early. The Russians will be Canada’s first opponent at 2pm this afternoon.
This morning head coach Dave Cameron chose Oiler prospect Olivier Roy as his go-to guy in between the pipes.
Roy, was drafted in the 5th round, 133rd overall by the Edmonton Oilers in 2009.
A native of Causapscal, Quebec, Roy had a record of 32-21-3 with a 2.62 goals against average, .908 save percentage and 5 shutouts for the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles in the Quebec Major Junior League this season. He also played three games for the Oilers’ American Hockey League affiliate in Springfield, posting a record of 1-1.
Santa Claus (Jonathan Meath, Wikimedia Commons)
Before I write my weekend sports preview, I need to make a comment. I am not a supporter of having “any sport at any time” on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day. It should be considered an important time for everyone to spend with their families and closest friends.
But there’s sports, and as long as there’s sports, people like me will watch.
Here are the events I’ll be watching when I am not eating turkey or opening presents.
Christmas Day–10am–NBA–Chicago Bulls @ New York Knicks–Sportsnet One–In a battle of two playoff bound teams in the Eastern Conference, this is the best Knicks team since 2001 when New York lost to Toronto in the first round of the playoffs. Since then, the Knicks have only been to the playoffs once, in 2004, where they swept by New Jersey. New York (17-12) is led by Amare Stoudemire, who is averaging 26.4 points per game. Stoudemire led Phoenix to a Western Conference Final last year and is proving he is an elite player in 2010. Chicago (18-9) leads the Central by five games over Indiana.
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