So I was on YouTube today and just by chance I came across this video.
Some ass, made this on November 28th, 2008. He has taken some of the worst jerseys that I have created and was trying to pass them off as the upcoming set of third jerseys. If you look at the comments you can see that most people are not impressed with his crappy video.
Just another reason why you should never take credit for something you didn't do!
You can see those terrible jerseys in posts HERE, HERE , HERE , and HERE.
I guess I should start water-marking my jerseys!
December 23, 2008
December 20, 2008
Sundin to Vancouver
With Mats Sundin signing in Vancouver many fans in Toronto are quite upset about the whole situation. Many fans believe that if Mats Sundin loved the Maple Leafs, as he said, then he should have waived his no-trade clause at the 2008 trade deadline so the Leafs could have started building for the future. He elected not to waive his no-rade clause, citing that he did not want to be a "rental player", as it wouldn't feel right. He also said something along the lines of, at that time he didn't see himself wearing any other sweater.
At the time, I thought it was honourable of him to want to stay in Toronto. He wasn't obligated to waive his no-trade, he had it put in so he wouldn't have to join a new team. Now, with his signing in Vancouver everything he said previously has been contradicted.
The Leafs have now lost one of their best players of all time for no players in return. If he knew at the end of last year that he was A) not returning to the league or most importantly B) not returning to the Maple Leafs then it appears he was looking out for himself and really did not care about the well being of the Toronto Maple Leafs as he had previoulsy stated.
As far as signing a one year contract with a new team in the middle of the season...that sounds like a rental player to me! He always said it was never about the money, yet he would never think about lowering his salary expectations to join a team with less cap space and a better chance at the Cup than Vancouver.
When the Canucks visit Toronto on February 21, 2009 I won't feel comfortable booing Mats Sundin, but I definately won't cheer him. And as far as what comes out of his mouth, it's now very hard to believe anything he says. I believe he just says what people want to hear and does whatever he wants to do without thinking about what he said he was going to do.
At the time, I thought it was honourable of him to want to stay in Toronto. He wasn't obligated to waive his no-trade, he had it put in so he wouldn't have to join a new team. Now, with his signing in Vancouver everything he said previously has been contradicted.
The Leafs have now lost one of their best players of all time for no players in return. If he knew at the end of last year that he was A) not returning to the league or most importantly B) not returning to the Maple Leafs then it appears he was looking out for himself and really did not care about the well being of the Toronto Maple Leafs as he had previoulsy stated.
As far as signing a one year contract with a new team in the middle of the season...that sounds like a rental player to me! He always said it was never about the money, yet he would never think about lowering his salary expectations to join a team with less cap space and a better chance at the Cup than Vancouver.
When the Canucks visit Toronto on February 21, 2009 I won't feel comfortable booing Mats Sundin, but I definately won't cheer him. And as far as what comes out of his mouth, it's now very hard to believe anything he says. I believe he just says what people want to hear and does whatever he wants to do without thinking about what he said he was going to do.
December 14, 2008
Jersey Posts
I've done some more jersey concepts and here they are.
We start with the Boston Bruins who could of done a yellow third jersey this season, but instead went black. So I went yellow for them.
Edmonton had a great third jersey a few seasons ago, here is a white version.
There are rumours in Pittsburgh that when they move to their new stadium they will permanently go to the powder blue and white colours. I like the gold and black but with the powder blue design.
Minnesota will most likely have a new alternate sweater next season that will be green. Here's my offering.
Nashville needs a complete overhaul. Logo, colours, city...everything. Here's an option.
and a road sweater.
Canada might not be able to use their logo at the Olympics because of some rule that the IOC has ignored up until now. So I came up with this.
And a white version.
That was fun.
We start with the Boston Bruins who could of done a yellow third jersey this season, but instead went black. So I went yellow for them.
Edmonton had a great third jersey a few seasons ago, here is a white version.
There are rumours in Pittsburgh that when they move to their new stadium they will permanently go to the powder blue and white colours. I like the gold and black but with the powder blue design.
Minnesota will most likely have a new alternate sweater next season that will be green. Here's my offering.
Nashville needs a complete overhaul. Logo, colours, city...everything. Here's an option.
and a road sweater.
Canada might not be able to use their logo at the Olympics because of some rule that the IOC has ignored up until now. So I came up with this.
And a white version.
That was fun.
December 13, 2008
Logos, Patches and Corrections
I was thinking about stupid things that really mean nothing yet would be kind of cool to see in the NHL.
An example is the Detroit Red Wings. Seeing as they won the Stanley Cup last season, all throughout this season they should be allowed to wear the Stanley Cup patch on their jersey. That goes for any team that wins the Cup.
Another thing that I was thinking about was the sale of the Vintage jerseys by CCM. I was wondering if they were perfectly accurate or if slight changes were made. So I started to look around and noticed a slight difference in the Toronto Maple Leafs jerseys.
The shoulder patch on the newly produced jerseys is a maple leaf from the Canadian flag. If you look at the original jersey from the 80's you'll see that the shoulder patch is just a blank version of the Toronto Maple Leaf.
Also, I see people at Leaf games who have gotten their jerseys numbered and it has the incorrect font on it. Maybe it was for cost reasons? Or maybe those people don't care. As far as I'm concerned I want my $175 jersey to be as authentic as possible.
I wanted to know who some of the culprits making these awful jerseys were. I was surprised to find out that shop.nhl.com was! Take a look.
Well I'm out of breath and I don't have anymore pointless crap to complain about.
An example is the Detroit Red Wings. Seeing as they won the Stanley Cup last season, all throughout this season they should be allowed to wear the Stanley Cup patch on their jersey. That goes for any team that wins the Cup.
Another thing that I was thinking about was the sale of the Vintage jerseys by CCM. I was wondering if they were perfectly accurate or if slight changes were made. So I started to look around and noticed a slight difference in the Toronto Maple Leafs jerseys.
The shoulder patch on the newly produced jerseys is a maple leaf from the Canadian flag. If you look at the original jersey from the 80's you'll see that the shoulder patch is just a blank version of the Toronto Maple Leaf.
Also, I see people at Leaf games who have gotten their jerseys numbered and it has the incorrect font on it. Maybe it was for cost reasons? Or maybe those people don't care. As far as I'm concerned I want my $175 jersey to be as authentic as possible.
I wanted to know who some of the culprits making these awful jerseys were. I was surprised to find out that shop.nhl.com was! Take a look.
Well I'm out of breath and I don't have anymore pointless crap to complain about.
December 5, 2008
Tell Me About the Toronto Maple Leafs
At the end of a long January school day, my friends and I would run down to the frozen pond. Sticks and pucks in hand, it was our traditional after school hockey game. We never missed one, no matter how cold it was.
As we would run down to the ice, everyone would yell out their favourite team,
“Lets be the Boston Bruins!”
Another would yell, “Lets be the Edmonton Oilers”
“I want to be the Montreal Canadiens!” another would bellow.
This would continue day after day. It seemed like we would never get tired. We played for hours as the Canadiens, or as the Oilers, or as the Boston Bruins. Someone would be Maurice Richard. Another boy would be Wayne Gretzky. Another, Booby Orr.
One day a good friend of mine asked, “What team do you want to be?”
I thought about it for a while. Nothing came to me. I did not know who my favourite team was! All I knew were the teams we played as on the pond after school. Sure, it was fun to be those teams, but it didn’t feel quite right.
“I don’t know who I want to be.” I said.
“Choose your favourite team!”
“I don’t know who my favourite team is.”
“You need a favourite team to be a hockey player.” the boy instructed.
I walked home that night determined to know who my favourite team was. After dinner, Grandpa was sitting at the fire place watching the flames dance and crack.
“Grandpa?” I asked.
“Yes?”
“Who is my favourite team?”
“Well, what team do you like the most? What team do you want to go all the way and win the Stanley Cup?”
“I don’t know. My friends say Montreal win will, or Edmonton will win, but I don’t believe them”, I told him.
“Who do you think will win then?” Grandpa asked.
“I don’t know any other teams.” I said
He turned to his side table where his newspapers laid. After fumbling through some of the papers, he folded the page and showed me a picture. There it was! My favourite team. Clad in blue and white, simple and refined. The bold white maple leaf crest stood out like a badge of honour.
“Who are they?” I asked, almost stunned.
“Those are the Toronto Maple Leafs!” he exclaimed as a smile came to his face. A smile unlike any other I had seen before.
“Tell me about the Maple Leafs.”
“I asked my dad the very same question when I was your age. He told me about players like Charlie Conacher, Joe Primeau, and Busher Jackson. They were known as the Kid Line. No one could stop them,” he told me. He was getting far too excited for someone his age. He continued, “ Conn Smythe owned the team and he built the greatest rink anyone has ever seen. He called it Maple Leaf Gardens. Our very first year there we won the Stanley Cup!”
“Wow.” I was stunned.
I was thrilled to know who my favourite team was, but I needed to know more. Grandpa had said that his dad told him about the Kid Line and Maple Leaf Gardens. There had to be more. I decided to ask my dad for more stories about my new favourite team.
“Dad, tell me about the Maple Leafs”
“I asked Grandpa the same question when I was your age. Do you know what he told me?” The smile was appearing on his face as well.
“About the Kid Line and Conn Smythe and Maple Leaf Gardens?”
“Yes, but also about Ted Kennedy who wore number 9, and number 10, worn by Syl Apps, Our goalie wore number 1, Turk Broda. He could stop anything. Televison was invented and everyone would gather around to watch the Maple Leafs and listen to Foster Hewitt call the play-by-play. Grandpa also told me about the Detroit Red Wings, who needed to beat us only one more time to win the Cup, but we didn’t lose another game. In fact, we won four straight to win the Stanley Cup! Kennedy, Apps and Broda helped us win 3 Stanley Cups in a row during the 1940’s. In 1951, Bill Barilko scored in overtime to win another Stanley Cup. Maple Leaf Gardens was so loud Grandpa thought the roof was going to burst off! Bill Barilko would die in a plane crash that summer. The Leafs wouldn’t… go ask your big brother about the Maple Leafs.”
So I picked up the phone and called my brother.
He picked up, “Hello?”
“Tell me about the Maple Leafs” I said.
“I asked Dad the same question when I was about your age.”
“And he told you about the Kid Line, Maple Leaf Gardens, Ted Kennedy, and Bill Barilko right?”
“Yes”
“What happened to Bill Barilko?” I asked.
“He died in a plane crash after that Stanley Cup, and the Leafs did not win again until 1962. That was the first of three in a row! We were coached by a man in a funny hat named Punch Imlach.” I could hear the excitement building in his voice. “Our captain wore number 10, George Armstrong. We had a big tall defenseman named Tim Horton. In goal was a man nicknamed “The China Wall”, but most people called him Johnny Bower. Bobby Baun broke his ankle, but still scored a goal to help win the 1964 Stanley Cup. Our top scorer was The Big M, his name is Frank Mahovlich. In 1961 he nearly scored 50 goals!”
“What else?” I asked, wanting to know all.
“1967”
“What happened in 1967?” my brother had me hooked.
“In 1967 we won the Stanley Cup for the 11th time! It was the last time that the NHL would have only 6 teams. Canada turned 100 years old that year!”
“Wow. Tell me more”
“We played the Montreal Canadiens in the finals. Everyone thought our team was too old to win the Stanley Cup, but we proved them wrong. In the final game, with Montreal’s net empty. Punch Imlach put all of our old players on the ice. We won the faceoff. We passed the puck to captain George Armstrong, and he shot it into the empty net. The crowd went crazy! When the final bell rang the Cup was presented to the Maple Leafs at centre ice.”
“Wow, I want to be a Toronto Maple Leaf!”
And I still do. Even today, as I sit here as an old man in front of the fire place and I watch the flames dance and crack. Even though the equipment may change, the jersey may change, and the players may change. What never changes is the blue and white maple leaf.
These days, I can sit down with my grandchildren and tell them about Conacher, Kennedy, Armstrong, Maple Leaf Gardens and the Stanley Cup but, I also get to tell them about Darryl Sittler’s 10 point game. About Rick Vaive who was the first 50 goal scorer the Leafs ever had! I tell them about Wendel Clark, who would deliver a crushing check at one end of the ice then come down and score at the other with one quickest shots you have ever seen. I get to tell them about Doug Gilmour who brought the passion for the Maple Leafs back to Toronto. And I get to tell them about the Maple Leafs’ new home, the Air Canada Centre. It’s the best arena in the league I tell them.
Now when someone asks me who my favourite team is, I can tell them without a second thought…
The Toronto Maple Leafs.
As we would run down to the ice, everyone would yell out their favourite team,
“Lets be the Boston Bruins!”
Another would yell, “Lets be the Edmonton Oilers”
“I want to be the Montreal Canadiens!” another would bellow.
This would continue day after day. It seemed like we would never get tired. We played for hours as the Canadiens, or as the Oilers, or as the Boston Bruins. Someone would be Maurice Richard. Another boy would be Wayne Gretzky. Another, Booby Orr.
One day a good friend of mine asked, “What team do you want to be?”
I thought about it for a while. Nothing came to me. I did not know who my favourite team was! All I knew were the teams we played as on the pond after school. Sure, it was fun to be those teams, but it didn’t feel quite right.
“I don’t know who I want to be.” I said.
“Choose your favourite team!”
“I don’t know who my favourite team is.”
“You need a favourite team to be a hockey player.” the boy instructed.
I walked home that night determined to know who my favourite team was. After dinner, Grandpa was sitting at the fire place watching the flames dance and crack.
“Grandpa?” I asked.
“Yes?”
“Who is my favourite team?”
“Well, what team do you like the most? What team do you want to go all the way and win the Stanley Cup?”
“I don’t know. My friends say Montreal win will, or Edmonton will win, but I don’t believe them”, I told him.
“Who do you think will win then?” Grandpa asked.
“I don’t know any other teams.” I said
He turned to his side table where his newspapers laid. After fumbling through some of the papers, he folded the page and showed me a picture. There it was! My favourite team. Clad in blue and white, simple and refined. The bold white maple leaf crest stood out like a badge of honour.
“Who are they?” I asked, almost stunned.
“Those are the Toronto Maple Leafs!” he exclaimed as a smile came to his face. A smile unlike any other I had seen before.
“Tell me about the Maple Leafs.”
“I asked my dad the very same question when I was your age. He told me about players like Charlie Conacher, Joe Primeau, and Busher Jackson. They were known as the Kid Line. No one could stop them,” he told me. He was getting far too excited for someone his age. He continued, “ Conn Smythe owned the team and he built the greatest rink anyone has ever seen. He called it Maple Leaf Gardens. Our very first year there we won the Stanley Cup!”
“Wow.” I was stunned.
I was thrilled to know who my favourite team was, but I needed to know more. Grandpa had said that his dad told him about the Kid Line and Maple Leaf Gardens. There had to be more. I decided to ask my dad for more stories about my new favourite team.
“Dad, tell me about the Maple Leafs”
“I asked Grandpa the same question when I was your age. Do you know what he told me?” The smile was appearing on his face as well.
“About the Kid Line and Conn Smythe and Maple Leaf Gardens?”
“Yes, but also about Ted Kennedy who wore number 9, and number 10, worn by Syl Apps, Our goalie wore number 1, Turk Broda. He could stop anything. Televison was invented and everyone would gather around to watch the Maple Leafs and listen to Foster Hewitt call the play-by-play. Grandpa also told me about the Detroit Red Wings, who needed to beat us only one more time to win the Cup, but we didn’t lose another game. In fact, we won four straight to win the Stanley Cup! Kennedy, Apps and Broda helped us win 3 Stanley Cups in a row during the 1940’s. In 1951, Bill Barilko scored in overtime to win another Stanley Cup. Maple Leaf Gardens was so loud Grandpa thought the roof was going to burst off! Bill Barilko would die in a plane crash that summer. The Leafs wouldn’t… go ask your big brother about the Maple Leafs.”
So I picked up the phone and called my brother.
He picked up, “Hello?”
“Tell me about the Maple Leafs” I said.
“I asked Dad the same question when I was about your age.”
“And he told you about the Kid Line, Maple Leaf Gardens, Ted Kennedy, and Bill Barilko right?”
“Yes”
“What happened to Bill Barilko?” I asked.
“He died in a plane crash after that Stanley Cup, and the Leafs did not win again until 1962. That was the first of three in a row! We were coached by a man in a funny hat named Punch Imlach.” I could hear the excitement building in his voice. “Our captain wore number 10, George Armstrong. We had a big tall defenseman named Tim Horton. In goal was a man nicknamed “The China Wall”, but most people called him Johnny Bower. Bobby Baun broke his ankle, but still scored a goal to help win the 1964 Stanley Cup. Our top scorer was The Big M, his name is Frank Mahovlich. In 1961 he nearly scored 50 goals!”
“What else?” I asked, wanting to know all.
“1967”
“What happened in 1967?” my brother had me hooked.
“In 1967 we won the Stanley Cup for the 11th time! It was the last time that the NHL would have only 6 teams. Canada turned 100 years old that year!”
“Wow. Tell me more”
“We played the Montreal Canadiens in the finals. Everyone thought our team was too old to win the Stanley Cup, but we proved them wrong. In the final game, with Montreal’s net empty. Punch Imlach put all of our old players on the ice. We won the faceoff. We passed the puck to captain George Armstrong, and he shot it into the empty net. The crowd went crazy! When the final bell rang the Cup was presented to the Maple Leafs at centre ice.”
“Wow, I want to be a Toronto Maple Leaf!”
And I still do. Even today, as I sit here as an old man in front of the fire place and I watch the flames dance and crack. Even though the equipment may change, the jersey may change, and the players may change. What never changes is the blue and white maple leaf.
These days, I can sit down with my grandchildren and tell them about Conacher, Kennedy, Armstrong, Maple Leaf Gardens and the Stanley Cup but, I also get to tell them about Darryl Sittler’s 10 point game. About Rick Vaive who was the first 50 goal scorer the Leafs ever had! I tell them about Wendel Clark, who would deliver a crushing check at one end of the ice then come down and score at the other with one quickest shots you have ever seen. I get to tell them about Doug Gilmour who brought the passion for the Maple Leafs back to Toronto. And I get to tell them about the Maple Leafs’ new home, the Air Canada Centre. It’s the best arena in the league I tell them.
Now when someone asks me who my favourite team is, I can tell them without a second thought…
The Toronto Maple Leafs.
November 26, 2008
NHL Jersey Concepts
I haven't been putting up many jersey concepts recently so I decided to put up a whole plethora of them for this post.
Starting with the Thrashers.
Buffalo Sabres, using their new modified vintage logo.
Florida Panthers. A red version of their current jersey
Los Angeles Kings. White version of their new alternate.
Montreal Canadiens. Haha! Like they would ever change their jerseys.
Minnesota North Stars. Apparently they were supposed to go to black at one point in the 80's as their road sweaters.
New York Rangers. This is just a fun jersey, not really a good one.
Washington Capitals. I took their 70's/80's design and gave it the new logo and colours.
There ya go.
Starting with the Thrashers.
Buffalo Sabres, using their new modified vintage logo.
Florida Panthers. A red version of their current jersey
Los Angeles Kings. White version of their new alternate.
Montreal Canadiens. Haha! Like they would ever change their jerseys.
Minnesota North Stars. Apparently they were supposed to go to black at one point in the 80's as their road sweaters.
New York Rangers. This is just a fun jersey, not really a good one.
Washington Capitals. I took their 70's/80's design and gave it the new logo and colours.
There ya go.
November 24, 2008
Final Alternate Jersey Update
Now that all 3rd jerseys have been officially released lets look at my original guesses versus what was actually produced. You can view the original post of all my guesses here.
Also, here is the graphic I provided from that post.
And here are all of the new alternate jerseys courtesy of nhluniforms.com
I was dead on with Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Edmonton, New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Toronto.
I messed up on some of the colours and stripes on Atlanta, Buffalo, Los Angeles, San Jose, Tampa Bay, and Vancouver.
If only I had continued my elbow stripes completely around the arm on the Kings' jersey, then I would have been correct.
I was completely off on Carolina, Ottawa, Phoenix, and St. Louis
Here is my worst to first list of all the new alternate jerseys.
18. Phoenix (had high hopes for this one)
17. Carolina
16. Dallas
15. NY Islanders
14. Philadelphia
13. Ottawa
12. Pittsburgh
11. San Jose
10. Boston
9. Vancouver
8. Chicago
7. Edmonton
6. Tampa Bay
5. Atlanta
4. Toronto
3. Los Angeles
2. Buffalo
1. St. Louis
That's all for third jerseys for this year. Early word is that Minnesota and Washington will have new alternates next season.
Also, here is the graphic I provided from that post.
And here are all of the new alternate jerseys courtesy of nhluniforms.com
I was dead on with Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Edmonton, New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Toronto.
I messed up on some of the colours and stripes on Atlanta, Buffalo, Los Angeles, San Jose, Tampa Bay, and Vancouver.
If only I had continued my elbow stripes completely around the arm on the Kings' jersey, then I would have been correct.
I was completely off on Carolina, Ottawa, Phoenix, and St. Louis
Here is my worst to first list of all the new alternate jerseys.
18. Phoenix (had high hopes for this one)
17. Carolina
16. Dallas
15. NY Islanders
14. Philadelphia
13. Ottawa
12. Pittsburgh
11. San Jose
10. Boston
9. Vancouver
8. Chicago
7. Edmonton
6. Tampa Bay
5. Atlanta
4. Toronto
3. Los Angeles
2. Buffalo
1. St. Louis
That's all for third jerseys for this year. Early word is that Minnesota and Washington will have new alternates next season.
November 14, 2008
The progress of Ian White
Ian White, of the Toronto Maple Leafs, is not a superstar, but he is a defenceman turned forward. Last season while playing solely in the backend for the Leafs he scored 5 goals and had 21 points in 81 games. Lets take a look at his mug shot from last season...
This season, he had a tough time getting into the Leafs' lineup. He played in nearly all of Toronto's preseason games, but was a healthy scratch for the first 11 games of the regular season. For the last 3 games of the preseason, the Leafs made an interesting move and put Ian White on forward, only because they had too many defencemen. Lets take a look at White during the preseason.
He finally got into the lineup on Sunday, November 2. He played forward and scored a goal in his first game of the season. One couldn't help notice that something was different. Take a look.
The power of the "stache". Since sporting that tickler Whitey has 2 goals and 5 points in 6 games. We'll see how well the "stache" can play for the rest of the season.
This season, he had a tough time getting into the Leafs' lineup. He played in nearly all of Toronto's preseason games, but was a healthy scratch for the first 11 games of the regular season. For the last 3 games of the preseason, the Leafs made an interesting move and put Ian White on forward, only because they had too many defencemen. Lets take a look at White during the preseason.
He finally got into the lineup on Sunday, November 2. He played forward and scored a goal in his first game of the season. One couldn't help notice that something was different. Take a look.
The power of the "stache". Since sporting that tickler Whitey has 2 goals and 5 points in 6 games. We'll see how well the "stache" can play for the rest of the season.
November 11, 2008
NHL Shootout
As the shootout to decide tie games enters its fourth season in use I have a couple of issues regarding it.
First off, I was never in favour of the shootout, but that is not for debate anymore. The shootout is here to stay, end of story. Secondly, I don't mind a stat being kept in a team's record for shootout and OT losses, but it should be kept seperate.
For example, the Maple Leafs currently have an official record of 6-5-4. Officially, they are one game above a .500 winning percentage. As far as I see it, They are 6-9 (3 games below .500) with 3 of those losses being in a shootout and one in OT. I think the record should read as follows
W - L (OTL - SOL)
6 - 9 ( 1 - 3) 16PTS
The extra point would still be awarded, but the loss would be counted in the regular LOSS column and noted in a seperate OT LOSS column.
My other major point is, that the younger players know how to get it done in the shootout. They have far more creative moves than older players. Crosby, Ovechkin, Toews etc. are all very exciting in the shootout. As opposed to Sakic, Selanne, or Modano who may only give you one or two side to side moves.
Five years down the road the shootout will be very exciting because of all the young, talented, creative shooters. Also, the new shootout event at the All Star Skills Competition will only get better every year.
First off, I was never in favour of the shootout, but that is not for debate anymore. The shootout is here to stay, end of story. Secondly, I don't mind a stat being kept in a team's record for shootout and OT losses, but it should be kept seperate.
For example, the Maple Leafs currently have an official record of 6-5-4. Officially, they are one game above a .500 winning percentage. As far as I see it, They are 6-9 (3 games below .500) with 3 of those losses being in a shootout and one in OT. I think the record should read as follows
W - L (OTL - SOL)
6 - 9 ( 1 - 3) 16PTS
The extra point would still be awarded, but the loss would be counted in the regular LOSS column and noted in a seperate OT LOSS column.
My other major point is, that the younger players know how to get it done in the shootout. They have far more creative moves than older players. Crosby, Ovechkin, Toews etc. are all very exciting in the shootout. As opposed to Sakic, Selanne, or Modano who may only give you one or two side to side moves.
Five years down the road the shootout will be very exciting because of all the young, talented, creative shooters. Also, the new shootout event at the All Star Skills Competition will only get better every year.
November 5, 2008
Cheering on Your Team In Enemy Territory
Tomorrow I will make the 9 hour drive to Boston to watch my beloved Maple Leaf take on the Bruins. This is not my first road trip into enemy territory, as I have made the 90 minute drive to Buffalo twice, and the 5 hour drive to Montreal twice.
Which leads me to my point. If you really love hockey, then one thing to do before you die is go see your home team play in another team's building. It's exhilarating when your team wins, and you want to leave as fast as you can when they lose.
Previously in Buffalo I saw the Leafs lose 6-0 the day after they were eliminated from making the playoffs. Two years later, I went back to the HSBC Arena and saw them thump the Sabres 4-1. Buffalo is a lot easier to deal with than Montreal, as 50% of the fans are Leafs fans anyways.
Different story in Montreal. If you ever feel like you're behind enemy lines, Montreal is the place. The people there love their hockey, and even more so, their Canadiens. I think some Habs fans even take more joy in seeing the Leafs lose rather than the Habs winning. In October of 2005, I saw the Leafs defeat the Habs 3-2 (most fun ever!). Last year I saw the Leafs lose 3-1 to the Habs in the last game of the season. The city celebrated as if they had just won the Cup!
Another thing to do before you die is get to an NHL game in Montreal. The buzz in and around the building during the hockey season is phenomenal.
Which leads me to my point. If you really love hockey, then one thing to do before you die is go see your home team play in another team's building. It's exhilarating when your team wins, and you want to leave as fast as you can when they lose.
Previously in Buffalo I saw the Leafs lose 6-0 the day after they were eliminated from making the playoffs. Two years later, I went back to the HSBC Arena and saw them thump the Sabres 4-1. Buffalo is a lot easier to deal with than Montreal, as 50% of the fans are Leafs fans anyways.
Different story in Montreal. If you ever feel like you're behind enemy lines, Montreal is the place. The people there love their hockey, and even more so, their Canadiens. I think some Habs fans even take more joy in seeing the Leafs lose rather than the Habs winning. In October of 2005, I saw the Leafs defeat the Habs 3-2 (most fun ever!). Last year I saw the Leafs lose 3-1 to the Habs in the last game of the season. The city celebrated as if they had just won the Cup!
Another thing to do before you die is get to an NHL game in Montreal. The buzz in and around the building during the hockey season is phenomenal.
October 31, 2008
Third Jersey Updates
Over the last two or three weeks, there have been quite a few leaks of new third jersey pictures over at icethetics. I of course, have been following the news on these third jerseys, as you can see here and all throughout this blog.
Now that all but 5 jerseys have been seen let us compare my assumptions, based on what was written over the summer, to what the actual jerseys look like.
First, the actual jerseys...
Now my assumptions...
I've gone 6 for 13 so far, but lets face it, I was fairly close on 3 of them (Buffalo, Tampa Bay, and Vancouver). So if you're nice, I've actually gone 9 for 13. And if you're really nice and want to say I was close with Atlanta and Phoenix, then I have gone 11 for 13 so far.
The teams that have yet to "officially" unveil their new jerseys are Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, Ottawa, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, San Jose, Tampa Bay, and Vancouver.
Pittsburgh isn't hiding anything as it's pretty much common knowledge that they will be using this jersey. (This is not a leaked image, it is a photoshopped version of last year's Winter Classic)
Below are release dates for each of the jerseys yet to be unveiled...
Boston - Monday, November 24
Chicago - Monday, November 3
Dallas - Tuesday, November 18
Los Angeles - Saturday, November 22
Ottawa - Saturday, November 22
Philadelphia - Friday, November 28 (one of the last)
Phoenix - Friday, November 28 (one of the last)
Pittsburgh - Wednesday, November 5
San Jose - Friday, November 21
Tampa Bay - Sunday, November 23
Vancouver - Saturday, November 15
Now that all but 5 jerseys have been seen let us compare my assumptions, based on what was written over the summer, to what the actual jerseys look like.
First, the actual jerseys...
Now my assumptions...
I've gone 6 for 13 so far, but lets face it, I was fairly close on 3 of them (Buffalo, Tampa Bay, and Vancouver). So if you're nice, I've actually gone 9 for 13. And if you're really nice and want to say I was close with Atlanta and Phoenix, then I have gone 11 for 13 so far.
The teams that have yet to "officially" unveil their new jerseys are Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, Ottawa, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, San Jose, Tampa Bay, and Vancouver.
Pittsburgh isn't hiding anything as it's pretty much common knowledge that they will be using this jersey. (This is not a leaked image, it is a photoshopped version of last year's Winter Classic)
Below are release dates for each of the jerseys yet to be unveiled...
Boston - Monday, November 24
Chicago - Monday, November 3
Dallas - Tuesday, November 18
Los Angeles - Saturday, November 22
Ottawa - Saturday, November 22
Philadelphia - Friday, November 28 (one of the last)
Phoenix - Friday, November 28 (one of the last)
Pittsburgh - Wednesday, November 5
San Jose - Friday, November 21
Tampa Bay - Sunday, November 23
Vancouver - Saturday, November 15
October 29, 2008
Winter Classic Jerseys
Again, a Winter Classic will be held on New Year's Day this season, Chicago's Wrigley Field being the host. The throwback jerseys were released a few days ago for the game, here's a look at them.
As far as the game goes, it's something nice to watch on TV on New Year's day, but will the American ratings be there after the novelty of this outdoor game wears off? The Canadian ratings will always be there, so if the NHL were to put on the Winter Classic between two American teams every 3 years that would make it something special. The two years in between, pit two Canadian teams together. Broadcast it nationally in Canada, with it being on Versus or NHL Network in the US and you will be able to keep the novelty of the game. Just a thought, and we won't know for sure how long it will take for the novelty to wear off until we hear what the ratings were for the game.
As far as the game goes, it's something nice to watch on TV on New Year's day, but will the American ratings be there after the novelty of this outdoor game wears off? The Canadian ratings will always be there, so if the NHL were to put on the Winter Classic between two American teams every 3 years that would make it something special. The two years in between, pit two Canadian teams together. Broadcast it nationally in Canada, with it being on Versus or NHL Network in the US and you will be able to keep the novelty of the game. Just a thought, and we won't know for sure how long it will take for the novelty to wear off until we hear what the ratings were for the game.
October 19, 2008
Cam Ward: Tribute or Goalie Mask Plagarism?
While searching through pictures of goalies, I came across a picture of Cam Ward. I realized that he has a new design on his mask. Something struck me about the mask. It looks very similar to something I've seen before. First, lets look at his old mask.
A silver mask with Hurricanes logos all over it and "WARDO" written at the bottom.
And now, his new mask.
Wow, this looks very fimiliar!
It looks like a Carolina version of a Felix Potvin mask!
Lets take a look at another picture.
Ward is even wearing equipment with a similar design to that of Potvin's custom KOHO Revolutions pads.
Is this a tribute to Felix or is it plagarism? I'm just joking, as it is highly unlikely that someone would stumble across this design and not know if anyone had it earlier.
I really like this mask. Maybe he can stick with it.
I like goalies that keep the same design and just change the colours depending on the team they play for. Such as, Potvin, Belfour, Joseph, Kolzig, Theodore, Osgood (that's a joke) and Toskala.
A silver mask with Hurricanes logos all over it and "WARDO" written at the bottom.
And now, his new mask.
Wow, this looks very fimiliar!
It looks like a Carolina version of a Felix Potvin mask!
Lets take a look at another picture.
Ward is even wearing equipment with a similar design to that of Potvin's custom KOHO Revolutions pads.
Is this a tribute to Felix or is it plagarism? I'm just joking, as it is highly unlikely that someone would stumble across this design and not know if anyone had it earlier.
I really like this mask. Maybe he can stick with it.
I like goalies that keep the same design and just change the colours depending on the team they play for. Such as, Potvin, Belfour, Joseph, Kolzig, Theodore, Osgood (that's a joke) and Toskala.
October 12, 2008
Third Jersey Updates
As far as third jerseys go this season in the NHL, the release of them for sale to the public is quite odd. Originally we heard that jerseys would be able to be picked up for sale near the end of November. Except for the Leafs' new third jersey which is now available to be purchased and shipped according to shop.nhl.com
Here are a couple of photos that have surfaced of the Lightning's new third and the Flyers' new third.
So just a recap, here are all the third jerseys that have been confirmed...
And here is a chart to see how accurate all my guesses were...
I haven't marked the Penguins' jersey as "correct" yet because nothing official has been seen. That's all for now.
Here are a couple of photos that have surfaced of the Lightning's new third and the Flyers' new third.
So just a recap, here are all the third jerseys that have been confirmed...
And here is a chart to see how accurate all my guesses were...
I haven't marked the Penguins' jersey as "correct" yet because nothing official has been seen. That's all for now.
October 11, 2008
Leafs Missing Some Saturday Nights
For as long as I have been watching hockey, and more specifically the Toronto Maple Leafs, they have been on every Saturday during the regular season on Hockey Night in Canada. That is, unless the All Star Game is on that weekend or Christmas or Christmas Eve are on a Saturday. This season though, there are three regular Saturdays when the Leafs will not make an appearance on the historic broadcasts. Saturday, December 13th and 27th and also Saturday, January 17th.
For a station that commonly is accused of being favourable to the Leafs, this is certainly a surprising turn of events. I don't know if this is how the NHL schedule just worked out, or if CBC passed on the Leafs to broadcast the Senators and Canadiens instead.
For the last 20 years or so, a Leaf fan would know that he or she could sit down in front of the TV at 7PM and turn on Hockey Night in Canada and know that the Leafs will be playing. They may not know who the opponent will be, or where the game will be played, but they did know it was at 7 on Hockey Night in Canada. Even during the last 2 seasons, when the Leafs have been terrible, the game was still broadcast only to the Toronto region. Not this year. This is truly a sign of just how bad the Leafs are expected to be.
Saturday's which will not feature the Leafs:
December 13 - Washington @ Montreal / Tampa Bay @ Ottawa
December 27 - Montreal @ Pittsburgh
January 17 - Montreal @ Ottawa
October 7, 2008
Edmonton Oilers New Alternate Jersey
Edmonton revealed their alternate jersey for this new season. It's a throw back to the Oilers of the 80's. Going with the blue version of the jersey making it easier to wear at home.
I prefer the white jersey, but they are both great. Here are some pictures of the new jersey.
My guess to what the jersey would be can be found here. Another one that wasn't that hard to guess.
I prefer the white jersey, but they are both great. Here are some pictures of the new jersey.
My guess to what the jersey would be can be found here. Another one that wasn't that hard to guess.
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