Tuesday, February 20, 2007

 

Finally-GM’s discussing the worst rule change of all time

When goal scoring was up at the start of this current NHL campaign and maintained a higher pace as the season progressed fans and media alike wondered if the league had finally taken a step back in time, to the free wheeling 1980’s where the run and gun style of the Edmonton Oilers spawned like minded copy cat teams with the end result being a shoot out not only at the Calgary Corral but at every other rink in the NHL. In fact in 1985-86 fifteen of the twenty-one teams in the NHL scored more than 300 goals during an eighty game regular season. Last year, the twentieth anniversary of that season, two teams out of thirty in an eight-two game season scored more than 300 so we’re not quite there yet folks.

The other glaring difference to me and if this dates me so be it but from the time I began watching the game in the mid to late sixties right through the raucous seventies and the free wheeling eighties, the major difference between then and now is the lack of respect and the cheap shots that are prevalent in today’s game. Let me be more specific. There are more gutless twerps and more cheap shot artists in the game today than at any other time in the history of the sport and a huge reason for that is the most ridiculous rule in hockey, the instigator, that was brought in under Gil ‘The Thrill’ Stein’s watch. Regretfully he’s always going to be known for being the guy who tried to orchestrate his way into the Hockey Hall of Fame instead of the guy who arguably had as much to do with the changing of the game as the New Jersey Devils did with their ‘trap-style’ winning the Cup in 1995.

The real irony of the instigator rule is that a version of it has been on the books going as far back as 1976. Referees from that time had at any opportunity the ability to further penalize the player deemed to be the instigator in any fight. For the life of me I can’t tell you when it was applied in fact it would be a good trivia question and one that I’ll have to research but at their (the referees) discretion they had the ability to call an instigator penalty and have said player kicked out of the game. Regardless of when it was first called the bottom line is it was rarely called and for that reason players were accountable. If you ran a goalie, you were going to take a pounding. If you smoked somebody from behind, which was as rare as a Montreal loss on home ice in those days, you were going to take a pounding. If you went after Bobby Clarke, Guy Lafleur, Wayne Gretzky, Mike Bossy and a host of other talented but non-fighting type of players you were going to take a pounding. You played hard, the game was tough, very tough and that had to be backed up. Even after helmets became mandatory in 1979, even after visors became part of the landscape when Ric Seiling began wearing one in 1981 due to an eye problem, players still had a high level of respect for each other and the code of the game that had existed for decades. Not today.

Today’s game is filled with a new style of hit and run player and a style of player that to quote a recent email I received is ‘euro tough.’ These are the European players who now populate the NHL landscape who have either won Cups or major awards, play hard, start or are involved in a lot of crap on the ice but never, ever would back it up by dropping the gloves. And to be fair to them, dropping the gloves is not the option it was ‘back in the day.’ For the first time in recent memory the instigator rule is being discussed at the GM’s meeting. Brian Burke, GM of Anaheim opined that it definitely needs to be amended and its punitive measure reduced. Last night on local TV here in Ottawa, (February 19) President and CEO of the Ottawa Senators, Roy Mlakar stated that the entire instigator rule should be tossed out! Now that’s more like it. When questioned by Sportsnet Rob Faulds why he would like to see it tossed Mr. Mlakar replied, “What do you like about it?” Faulds was at a loss for words briefly. What is there to like about it? The removal of this rule will protect Sydney Crosby like it did Wayne Gretzky. The removal of this insane rule will save a goalie from serious injury. The removal of this asinine rule could undoubtedly save someone’s career. Why? Because you have to think twice before drilling somebody with a cheap shot that’s why. It will bring the respect level back to the game of hockey and that for one is reason enough to throw that piece of garbage rule right out the window. Got any comments? I’d love to hear them.

Liam Maguire

Tuesday, February 13, 2007

 

Emery shows his mettle

Ray Emery shows first signs of life in NHL


The passive tree huggers have roared to life like a dying man being shocked with a debibulator. The cause for the outbreak of venom, Ray Emery’s three game suspension for hitting Maxim Lapierre of the Montreal Canadiens in the second period of the Ottawa-Montreal game this past Saturday night, February 10th.

Emery has shown incredible resolve during his short time in the NHL after a brief but mercurial career in the AHL where he was suspended a couple of times and involved in some of the wilder altercations in the past 3-4 years. For quite some time many fans and media in Ottawa have pondered at what point his past behavior and temper would get the better of him – now we know. Is this a big deal? No it’s not but regretfully some on both sides are making it out to be.

From the Ottawa perspective. You never want to lose your starting goaltender be it to injury or suspension and in the midst of a tight playoff race it’s even worse timing however with only three games in the next seven days and with Martin Gerber already slated to start tomorrow’s game against Florida Ottawa may dodge a bullet of course we’ll know more about that in seven days. The fact remains that many goaltenders before Ray Emery and many after him will at some point assert themselves clear their crease or take matters into their own hands. Terry Sawchuk fought and hit everything that moved anywhere near his crease. Billy Smith was the most truculent goaltender in the history of the sport until Ron Hextall came along and made him look like a choir boy routinely posting 100+ pim seasons and taking several suspensions. Patrick Roy was once suspended eight games for a slash so bad on a Minnesota player named Warren Babe on October 19, 1987 that he put Babe out of action for two weeks. Those are some pretty good goaltenders in the history of the NHL. All of them Cup finalists and all but Hextall Cup winners. Frankly, from the Ottawa perspective I’m not that upset to see Emery finally blow a fuse. I think it would be good if he also takes an occasion or two and drops the gloves. I wouldn’t recommend he take on the Derek Boogaard’s or George Laracque’s of the world but winging a few shots at the numerous crease crashers in today’s game is never a bad idea in my opinion.

From the Montreal perspective. The Habs accomplished several things with this incident. Clearly they got under Emery’s skin and that bodes well for future games and maybe a playoff series at some point in time. Montreal scored on the power play so that really makes it worth while and lastly they got a suspension that frankly nobody in hockey circles feels was warranted so the hype and reaction in Montreal helped lead to that and if at the end of the day the Senators struggle with Gerber in the lineup then it’s really a win-win for Montreal. Of course all of this is easy to say because Lapierre was not hurt on the play despite their being significant intent to do so.

From the leagues perspective. The NHL continues to evolve in to a joke status. A league that was once revered for its respect level among its brethren and a code of conduct that player and fans espoused for decades continues to look Mickey Mouse as player after player night in and night out run the goalies. With the threat of 2-5-10 hanging over any body who comes to their defense or worse, taking twenty-seven minutes like Sheldon Souray did against Colby Armstrong on February 1st only to see Armstrong drop his gloves and get nothing - the NHL continues with this lack of accountability prevalent in the game today to slip into the back channels, literally, of the viewing public. Who can state with any conviction that they recall crease crashing in the 1980’s, 1970’s, 1960’s or before to the degree that we are getting it now? If you ventured near a goalie in those era’s retribution was swift. If you hit somebody from behind you were made accountable – on the ice. Not in the boardroom. Or in the case of Alexandre Ovechkin’s hit on Daniel Briere just a few weeks ago, not even in the boardroom. At least Paul Gaustad tried to get him for that brutal hit on Briere. I digress. Folks, this too shall pass. Ray Emery has finally shown his mettle as far as I’m concerned and I’m way more impressed that he’s had the season he’s had to date than worrying about a three game suspension.

Liam Maguire

Friday, February 02, 2007

 
Dryden ceremony just right.

Seems we can’t get up in the morning without listening to or reading somebody’s crying about something in the world of sports. The latest missives in the print and electronic media world came as a result of the Ken Dryden retirement party held in Montreal on January 29th. For starters the date was picked to coincide with his sweater number. The Montreal Canadiens have chosen to add this element to these special nights for their latest inductees. Yvan Cournoyer and Dickie Moore each had their number 12 retired on November 12, 2005. Serge Savard’s number 18 was hung up on November 18, 2006. In the case of Bernard “Boom Boom” Geoffrion his number 5 was done on March 11th 2006 because it coincided with the funeral of his father-in-law the late great Howie Morenz. Morenz died on March 8, 1937 and his funeral was held in the Forum the only time that has ever been done in NHL history. The date was March 11, 1937. Rocket Richard’s wake was held on the ice surface of the Bell Centre but no other player’s funeral was ever held in an NHL building. Morenz’s number 7 was brought down and then raised simultaneously with Geoffrion’s number 5 in one of the greatest ceremonies you will ever see and in addition, March 11th is the anniversary of the final game ever played in the Montreal Forum, another Monday night only this time in 1996 and another Montreal victory, 4-1 over the Dallas Stars.

See the trend? No. Let me spell it out for you. The Montreal Canadiens could care less what a bunch of over paid, over hyped, out of shape cartoon characters masquerading as hockey media types think. Don’t like the ceremony, don’t watch it. The Ottawa Senators were given the time line long ahead of this night. They chose to set their schedule accordingly and with the warm up beginning after the ceremony was completed all it did was push the start time of the game back, no visiting player was required to stand or participate over any length of time. Yet we still had the hand wringing the next day. Boys, here’s a suggestion. Grab another plate of wings and take an hour to wonder how your life might have been different had you made that dodge ball team in grade seven instead of being one of the first cuts. All of these players be it Mark Messier, Steve Yzerman or Ken Dryden, they deserve their nights and with that comes a price to be paid – in time. I won’t be the hypocrite that I feel Ken Dryden is and say that I’m his number one fan. I don’t like the fact he was not in favour of Toronto sweaters being retired during his tenure as GM and/or President nor am I a fan of his anti-fighting stance given how guys like Robinson, Bouchard, Lupien and others kept his crease clear during those spectacular Montreal years. Regardless, he was deserving of this night and I thought the ceremony was absolutely excellent as they all are in Montreal. Like the late Ted Blackman, long time reporter in the Montreal area once stated, “The only other group that could pull off a celebration like the Montreal Canadiens is the House of Windsor.” Truer words were never spoken.

Liam Maguire
Liam1@ca.inter.net

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