Colangelo takes helm of Raptors

It's something that hasn't been said in a long, long time, but after today's news, it rings true: The Toronto Raptors are on the rise.

He's young, he's experienced and he's on a roll. And now he's the man running the Toronto Raptors.

Bryan Colangelo, 40, is expected to be introduced today as the club's president of basketball operations, possibly the most significant off-court move in the franchise's 11-year history.

Significant indeed.

NBA followers — and I haven't a clue how many of you there are here — will note Colangelo has been the architect behind the Phoenix Suns' transformation into a 62-20 powerhouse in the 2004-05 season. It was a feat that earned him NBA executive of the year honours last season (and, as The Globe article notes, he's once again a favourite to win it this year).

In summation, the so-called hapless Raptors have gone from having likely the worst NBA executive to the best — and have done it in a little over four weeks.

You'd be hard-pressed to find another sports franchise where the general feeling has gone from despair to jubilation in such short order.

Of course, the team's ownership group, Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, accomplished the Colangelo hiring by doing something they should have long ago with both the Raptors and Toronto Maple Leafs: relying on their strengths, the biggest of which is their financial heft.

Colangelo reportedly triples his earnings from what he made in a similar role with the Suns, proving that it's much easier to motivate coaches and executive personnel with money (and power) than players reluctant to come to Canada (and who are going to make their millions regardless of where they go).

It's also a strategy that could work well for the Maple Leafs, who this season seem headed for a playoff miss now that their financial advantages have been levelled by the NHL salary cap. That cap, however, won't hold MLSE from using some of the excess millions in their coffers to lure the league's best coaches and GMs to Toronto.

This is just the beginning.

A newspaper on the rise?

The Wall Street Journal took a look in yesterday's paper at some of the recent changes at The Globe and Mail, as well as some trends that are working against the grain in terms of the paper's circulation.

For the six months ended Sept. 30, the Globe's circulation climbed 5% to an average of 335,013 on weekdays. During the same period, average U.S. daily newspaper circulation declined by 2.6%; and among the country's biggest 20 papers, as measured by circulation, only one, the Newark, N.J., Star-Ledger, gained circulation.

Let the record show I joined The Globe six months prior to Sept. 30. Heh.

Credit to mainstream-media blogging guru David Akin for the link.

Hockey jerseys — Nike style

CasonBlog offers a scathing indictment of the Nike jersey's used in the Olympic hockey tournament last night:

On certain days, every item of clothing the Czechs wore was red-their helmets, sweaters, socks, and breezers, all nearly solid red. It practically burned out the picture tube on my beloved Sony.

That sounds ungood.

Personally, I'll confess I've never been overly interested in any aspects of hockey fashion, and that didn't particularly change during the tournament. I do recall thinking I'd like a pair of those funky hockey socks the Slovaks were wearing (picture at right), and, even now, looking at them, they look 'slick'.

Vertical lines on a hockey sock! Sacrilege!

Still, Cason makes some great points about the Nike-ization of hockey, the main one being, in essence: 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it.' Let's just say you'd be hard-pressed to find many who'd complain about the aerodynamics of Team Canada's old, gold-medal winning jerseys.

As Todd Bertuzzi said of the new duds: "They would look good with a pair jeans going to a bar maybe."

And, as we all know, that's for after the game — not during.

(By the way, if anyone knows where to get a pair of those Slovakia socks, lemme know. I'll be the belle of the beer league.)

To the blogroll!

Quick update to the links list over the weekend.

I added the venerable Jamie Fitzpatrick under hockey blogs. Damien Cox, Eric Duhatschek and David Shoalts — the 'talking heads' of the blog world — all run under the heading bloggin' heads until their blogs act like the rest of us. And last, but certainly not least, I've added the Toronto Star's Antonia Zerbisias's media blog to the msm blog list.

There are other newbies there as well, but I'll get to that in a bit.

Primeau's season comes to an end

The Philadelphia Flyers' Stanley Cup chances just took another hit:

Keith Primeau is expected to call an end to his season tomorrow, something he admittedly delayed in recent weeks as he struggled to overcome lingering concussion symptoms.

Primeau was absolutely phenomenal in the 2003-04 playoffs, and the Flyers had been talking about their big captain as a possibility for their playoff run. As it looks now, Primeau played just nine games this season and, at 34, is in danger of having to retire due to his recurring concussion problems.

As for the Flyers, they've lost an unbelievable 287 man games to injuries this season, the highest number in the league, and are on pace to post a near-record total in that regard (they'll have more than 400 by season's end).

At the start of the season, I had said Philadelphia had one of the strongest and deepest line-ups in the NHL, and I still think that's the case. The problem is, we've rarely seen it assembled this year and much of the load has been heaped on rookies Mike Richards, Jeff Carter, Fred Meyer and R.J. Umberger (who all look like keepers, by the way).

Even with the year they've had in injuries, Ken Hitckcock's team is set to finish at least in the top five in the Eastern Conference. Coming off the Olympic break, the Flyers are also going to have a key group returning — Peter Forsberg, Kim Johnsson, Mike Rathje, Petr Nedved and Branko Radivojevic — that should help them battle what will be a fatigued New York Rangers club for the Atlantic Division title.

2006 Turin Winter OlympicsFinal thoughts

The nostalgia is running high in the Olympics section in tomorrow's Globe and Mail, so I thought I'd finish things off with a few thoughts of my own.

Sweden takes home the gold
Hey, for obvious reasons, I'll start with hockey. With Team Canada never really getting on track and the obvious issues with the Games being in Italy — most of the hockey games were on in the early afternoon — the buzz around this year's men's hockey tournament never built to the heights of Nagano or Salt Lake City.

It's unfortunate more people weren't plugged in for the games, as the tournament ended up being full of surprises and quite a few good hockey games. The gold-medal final between rivals Sweden and Finland was probably the best of those I saw, if only for the intensity both teams and their fans brought to the games.

Speaking from a journalist's perspective, it's great covering a sport in which any player from these two countries is competing. From what I've seen and learned (mainly through hockey), the Swedes and Finns are both home to wonderful peoples and aren't altogether that different from Canadians with respect to their humility. (In fact, at the World Junior Championships in B.C. earlier this year, I enjoyed talking to the Swedish kids more than any other country's youngsters.)

One enduring image from today's final was a Finnish man weeping in the stands following his country's loss. I don't know what his ties were to the team, but there's something quite powerful in seeing such a love for the game — regardless of the countries involved. On the ice, this was evident, too, as elder statesmen for the Finns such as Teemu Selanne and Teppo Numminen were disconsolate after the loss, even though the silver medal was Finland's highest-ever Olympic finish.

Looking through the Swedes roster, it's actually a great thing the team did win at these Games, as much of the elite-level talent on the team's roster was likely playing in their last Olympics. Recent NHL entry-draft history speaks to how the well of Swedish talent has considerably thinned since the Mats Sundin, Peter Forsberg and Markus Naslund era, and we may be now witnessing the pinnacle of Swedish hockey for the next few decades. I never get tired of seeing classy players like Nicklas Lidstrom and Sundin win big.

Memories of Turin (now in Zesty Italian flavour)
I've got two quick ones here.

On the field: The Canadian men's curling win. More than any hockey game I watched the past two weeks, I enjoyed the gold-medal curling match between Canada and Finland. The four kids from Newfoundland — not a province with a grand Olympic history, by any means — paired with a curling legend in Russ Howard were the feel-good story of the Games for Canadians. Young skip Brad Gushue breaking down in tears in an interview afterwards made it all the more powerful. (Gushue's mother is currently battling a similar cancer to the one my mother faced for eight years, so I can sympathize with the range of emotions he must be feeling.)

Off the field: It'd be pretty hard not to be moved by the sight of Vancouver's mayor, Sam Sullivan, a quadriplegic, waving the Olympic flag in today's closing ceremonies. I'm a British Columbia kid, so finally seeing these Games on the horizon is pretty exciting.

Canada rocks the medal table
I really don't think there's been an Olympics where Canadian athletes performed as well as they did here in Turin. The 24 medals won were seven better than Canada's previous best at the Winter Olympics, and there were many, many more 4th and 5th place finishes. Canada's goal is to finish atop the podium in Vancouver, something that now looks like a definite possiblity.

One amazing tidbit from Canada's success was the fact that nearly 30 per cent of the athletes in Turin were from Alberta — part of the legacy of the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary. (For international readers, Alberta's population makes up less than 10 per cent of the country's.)

Will we see a similar legacy 20 years after 2010 in Vancouver? UPDATE USA Today has an interesting runthrough of how Canada has caught up to the U.S. in these Olympics.

Good job, Bob
For all of the grief that CBC's Bob Cole gets, he's still one of the better hockey play-by-play men in the world (even if he doesn't always get players' names right). He's also one of the last of his generation, and as The Globe and Mail's Bill Houston notes in his column, this will be his last Olympics.

Olympic television coverage in Canada will no longer be handled by the CBC after 2008 in Beijing, as CTV has picked up the rights tab for the 2010 and 2012 Games. It's really too bad, too, as the CBC's Olympic coverage was, once again, nearly flawless — aside from a few over-played advertisements.

Final thoughts
There's been a ton of bellyaching about these Olympics: How they're superfluous, full of useless events, lacking in diversity and merely a venue for multi-millionaires to strut their stuff.

Being as plugged into the Turin Games as I had to be this time around, however, I thoroughly enjoyed the Games and would rank them right up there with the best I've seen.

2006 Turin Winter OlympicsMen's hockey: Finland v. Sweden for gold

McErlain and I are among the dozens of people up early on their Sunday morning to see who wins this battle of the titans. It's currently 2-2 in the second intermission.

UPDATE Just a thought. For all of the talking about the Olympics as being 'so much better than the NHL' (as there was in Salt Lake City), it's interesting how all the hockey fans scatter once their home country is eliminated. The ratings for today's game will be abysmal, despite the fact it's some pretty compelling stuff, merely because two of the tournament's mediocre entries — Canada and the U.S. — are no longer playing.

I guess it's only 'better than the NHL' when your flag is on the ice. Go figure. (I, for one, think the big ice surface makes the Olympics a slower, more methodic game. Just ask Tom Benjamin, who enjoys complaining about such things.)

UPDATE Despite a frantic close to the game, Sweden holds on to win 3-2.

2006 Turin Winter OlympicsMen's hockey: Russia, Czechs skate for bronze

My picks in these Olympics have been so poor, I'm not sure why I'll even bother trying to call today's bronze-medal game. Perhaps just for continuity's sake. Or for those who gamble, to give someone a dead-wrong pick to bet against.

Russia wins if: They score early and get a good performance from their kids — Ovechkin, Malkin, Kovalchuk, etc.

Czechs win if: Tomas Vokoun plays like Tomas Vokoun. I believe we'll see Vokoun in net here today, and if he plays the way he's capable, that gives this team a dimension they've lacked so far. If he plays like he has so far in the tournament, they lose.

Russia 3, Czech Republic 2 (SO)

UPDATE It's early in the second period, 1-0 Czech Republic, and Ilya Kovalchuk just took a silly (and dangerous) match penalty for a straight-arm to the head of Tampa Bay Lightning player Pavel Kubina. With Russia down a man for five-straight minutes now, it appears the Czechs will win their fourth medal of these Olympics.

UPDATE Marek Zidlicky scores during the power play to put the Czechs up 2-0. Cue the Russian implosion.

UPDATE Regarding Kubina, to me it looked like a concussion — and perhaps a serious one. The Lightning are not deep at defence this year (one of the big reasons they've struggled) and losing Kubina for even a handful of games would be huge.

UPDATE CBC analyst Kelly Hrudey said the teams were 'sleepwalking' in this game, and that's probably a pretty fair assessment. Why bronze-medal games are played with such a lack of intensity I'll never know. After all, the loser goes home with nothing, while the winning team contributes to his country's medal total and is recognized as the third-best hockey-playing nation. There's no shame in winning bronze.

UPDATE Well, only a few minutes remaining here and Pavel Datsyuk just batted a puck into the Czech net out of mid-air, but the goal was disallowed due to a high stick. CBC colour man Greg Millen says it's a 'bad, bad call' although the referee did wave off the goal immediately, which caused Datsyuk to storm over and contest the call. The result? A 10-minute misconduct for Datsyuk.

UPDATE Martin Straka pots an empty-netter to end the game at 3-0. It's nice to see the Czechs cheering on the bench. Vokoun was excellent — a good sign for Nashville Predators fans.

2006 Turin Winter OlympicsMen's hockey: Renney says he'll sit Rangers out

Does this sound like a team fighting for it's first division title in 12 years?

Depending on what he sees at practice early next week, Rangers coach Tom Renney said he might rest some of the other returning Olympians — Jaromir Jagr, Martin Rucinsky, Martin Straka, Marek Malik, Darius Kasparaitis, Fedor Tyutin and Ville Nieminen — and call up some replacements from the Hartford Wolf Pack, the Rangers' top AHL affiliate.

- New York Post, Newsday

Granted, the Rangers are basically guaranteed a playoff spot with 78 points and 24 games to go, but sitting out players at this point in the season just seems wrong. Unlike Eric McErlain, however, I don't think the NHL should move away from Olympic participation.

One of the biggest problems with this year's Games in Turin was the round-robin format, which called for teams to play five games. In the past, that number was only three, which drastically cut down on the tournament's length. Given that only the quarter-final games are what really, really matter, going back to a three-game round-robin format may be a good compromise.

At this point, there are no other plausible scenarios, short of cancelling the world junior tournament every four years and interrupting Canadian major junior hockey at the end of teams' playoff drives. Not going to happen.

(I don't know if the call from U.S. hockey fans to have the juniors play in the Olympics is a reflection of where the USA Hockey senior program is at the moment — in the toilet — but I do get a sense that American hockey fans would like to see more of the junior tournament, something I do think is a good idea. Canadians will definitely resist doing away with what has become a Christmas tradition in this country and since the IIHF receives a huge portion of their revenues from the tournament from Canadian television and ticket-buying interests, I believe that'll have a big say.)

2006 Turin Winter OlympicsMen's hockey: Playing out the Olympic string

Well, if you're one of the many hockey fans who doesn't give a hoot whether Finland or Sweden wins tomorrow's gold-medal game, the thing you're probably most worried about is getting your team's players back in one piece.

With that in mind, here's a look at the teams who will have the most players playing in Sunday's final game — their ninth in 12 days. (With Finns in blue.)

5 - Detroit (Lidstrom, Zetterberg, Kronwall, Holmstrom, Samuelsson)
4 - Dallas (Lehtinen, Jokinen, Hagman, Kapanen)
3 - Toronto (Sundin, Tellqvist, Berg)
3 - Vancouver (Sedin, Sedin, Ruutu)

Amazingly, 19 different NHL teams will be represented in the game, meaning almost everybody will be tired come Tuesday's return of the NHL. (Here's hoping that the one, jet-lagged day off is enough for these fellows to recover.)

UPDATE Changes made to correct mistakes noted in comments section.

Neck injury ends Colley's career

Kevin Colley's one NHLer very few hockey fans ever had a chance to see.

At age 27, the native of New Haven, Conn., was 16 games into his first NHL season when he fell head first into the boards after colliding with the Washington Capitals' Jamie Heward.

That was on Jan. 31. A week later, as other NHLers prepared to head overseas during the Olympic break, Colley had surgery for the second time on what was determined to be a broken neck.

Yesterday, after averaging just more than four minutes of ice time a game in his debut season, Colley called an end to a hockey career that had seen him play for 13 different teams in the last eight seasons.

Undrafted after two productive junior campaigns, the 5-foot-10, 180-pound Colley was a longshot to ever make the NHL simply because of his size and relative talent level. Gritty and hardworking, he may never have been big enough to play the type of game he did, but he did — and it took him all the way to hockey's highest level.

For 16 games.

Former New York Islander and teammate of Colley's, Steve Webb, puts it much more eloquently than I ever could:

I was very fortunate to get to play with a guy with such heart and determination. When we played together Kevin used to talk to me about what it is like to play in “the show” as he would put it, and I remember him talking about what a thrill it would be to get just one game. This is all he wanted to accomplish at that time. So it was great to see him in his first game against the Rangers.

Like any other person who has a competitive spirit such as his, once he got one game under his belt he then craved a second, and after that a third, until he get to the point where he wanted to contribute every game any way he could.

Kevin was willing to do anything to keep himself in the line-up. Hit the biggest guy on the other team, fight the other team's tough guy even though he was out weighed by 50-60 pounds and give all he had every shift. I guess that is why he wanted to get up and skate off the ice himself, because in the back of his mind he wasn’t thinking of the injury but what was going through his mind was the thought of losing his job, the job that took him so long to land in the NHL.

I guess I have a place in my heart for guys that take the long way to reach their dreams. I just want to wish Kevin a speedy and healthy recovery. We all hope to see him back on the ice soon with that devilish look in his eyes.

I know of a couple of guys from back home taking 'the long way' right now, and it's hard to imagine how it would feel to come so far only to lose it all. That said, I've got a feeling we'll be seeing more of Colley in and around hockey circles for years to come.

2006 Turin Winter OlympicsMen's hockey: Sweden/Finland to play for gold

Well, unlike the world junior event, I don't think I could have been any more wrong in trying to pick this tournament.

Sweden came out today and shot the lights out on the Czechs, winning 7-3 and moving onto the gold-medal game for the first time since winning it in 1994.

Finland is currently leading Russia 1-0 early in the second period, and the Finns are playing a stifling trap-style game. A Finland-Sweden finale would have the potential to be legendary, given the immense rivalry between the neighbouring countries.

Finland has actually won a medal at three of the last four Olympics, with a silver in 1988 and bronze in both 1994 and 1998. Aside from their lone gold-medal triumph in 1994, Sweden has won six other Olympic medals (two silver, four bronze), including three consecutive bronze in the 1980s.

UPDATE 2-0 Finland now on a goal from Toni Lydman. With the way the Finns are playing in this tournament, this game's likely done. Has there ever been a more deadly pairing at the Olympics than Teemu Selanne and Saku Koivu?

Unbelievable.

I wonder if my buddy Conan will still be over in Helsinki when the parties start.

UPDATE 3-0. Well, Russia waited until the semi-finals to implode against what looks like an extremely frustrating team to play against. Let's hope a Finland-Sweden final is a tad more exciting than when these countries met in the World Junior quarter-finals in January, a 1-0 overtime win by Finland.

2006 Turin Winter OlympicsMen's hockey: The end for Pat Quinn?

The second in a series of chats at The Globe and Mail since Team Canada was eliminated was this afternoon, when veteran sports columnist Gary Mason answered questions. Unlike Eric Duhatschek, who took in the Games from home, Mason is one of the newspaper's eight reporters/columnists in Turin and spent a lot of the games talking to Wayne Gretzky and Co.

Dennis Porter from Toronto writes: Who do you see as the coach for 2010?

Gary Mason writes: Hi, Dennis. That's a great question. There is a possibility they could give the job to one of Quinn's assistants, Ken Hitchcock or Jacques Martin, for continuity's sake. Or they could go in a completely different direction. I think they are likely to go with experience and any Olympic experience would be preferable. Maybe they'll offer Marc Crawford the job again. Ah, on second thought probably not.

I'm not sure so many Canadian fans are laughing at that bit. (And, in any event, the 1998 team's performance under Crawford was far superior to what we saw in Turin.)

Here in Toronto, Pat Quinn is being villified by some for this loss, and I've had more than one person ask me if I think that now the Maple Leafs will get rid of their longtime coach.

With only 25 games remaining, I can't see Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment making such a decisive move. Quinn is here until the season's end, whether the Leafs limp into the playoffs or not. Anything but advancing a round, however, and he'll be shuffled out in the summer.

Given what he's had to work with this season, it's hardly been his fault Toronto sits in 9th spot in the Eastern Conference.

2006 Turin Winter OlympicsMen's hockey: World Rankings ramifications

Jeff over at Sisu Hockey does some nice work here to work out the effects these Olympics will have on the IIHF's World Rankings.

What we know right off the bat is Canada is falling from 1st to 3rd. And the Americans? They're headed for 7th spot.

I trust we won't hear that Slovakia is the 'weak' member of the 'Big 7' any more.

Jeff didn't include any numbers for teams beyond the top seven, but I'd be curious to know how much current No. 8 Switzerland moved up after the surprising tournament they had. My guess is Italy's showing may have improved their standing as well.

2006 Turin Winter OlympicsMen's hockey: Semi-final matchups

Well, I'm sure hockeydom lost many of you with both Canada and the U.S. now eliminated, but around here, I'll still be watching intently. It is, after all, the only NHL-level hockey still being played.

Tomorrow's Semi-finals

Czech Republic vs. Sweden - 10:30am et
Unlike Canada, the Czechs were able to turn things around after a poor round-robin tournament and much of the reason was due to the stranglehold they have over Slovakia. That won't be as big of an issue here, but in recent history, the Czechs have also had Sweden's number. The Swedes lost handily to Russia and Slovakia in the round robin, and, now minus Mattias Ohlund (broken ribs), likely won't have enough to beat what appears to be a Czech team on the rise.

Jaromic Jagr has been relatively quiet so far (five points in six games), but he'll definitely be a factor here.

• Czech Republic 3, Sweden 2
  
  

---

Finland vs. Russia - 3pm et
This should be a fantastic hockey game. Finland has played outstanding in this tournament and are the only team yet to lose — amazing considering the country's two top goaltenders and two of their top six defencemen aren't even in Turin. They're definitely going to have their hands full with the Russians, who showed their strategy against Canada yesterday: Slow down the play and wait until your offensive guns get an opportunity. Both team's netminders — Antero Niittymaki and Jon Nabokov — have been outstanding.

I've learned my lesson, however, and won't be betting against Alex Ovechkin again.

• Russia 3, Finland 1
  

2006 Turin Winter OlympicsMen's hockey: Woe Canada!

If you want an example of some of the ugly, ugly analysis being bandied about today with regards to Team Canda, I think this ranks up there.

How could it happen? How could an elite group of players who will be paid nearly $100 million in salaries while scoring 334 goals in NHL games this season look as dysfunctional as a bantam league team on its first road trip to Medicine Hat?

...

Whether Spezza, Staal or, especially, Crosby could have given Canada such a dynamic force, Gretzky and coach Pat Quinn will never know. During several Capitals-Penguins games this season, the competitive Crosby seemed intent on proving he could not only match but surpass Ovechkin's every brilliant move or imaginative play.

And Gretzky and Quinn thought grinders Shane Doan and Kris Draper were better suited for the Olympics?

Sigh... how could it happen? How could you write a column on Team Canada's failures without watching the team play in the tournament?

I, for one, thought Doan looked to be one of the team's better forwards. Problem was, he was always out there to kill silly penalties taken by others on his team. And, besides, he's not exactly Rob Zamuner.

As I said yesterday, I think the griping about roster selections is misplaced, given that almost everyone on the team, save for Martin Brodeur, played terribly. Chances are, had there been one or two of these young guns there, they would have been lumped in with the rest of them.

2006 Turin Winter OlympicsMen's hockey: Russia 2, Canada 0

(Hmmm. What to say? Do you start with the obvious or jump whole-heartedly into hyperbole?)

Let's just say the disappointment that has been hanging around Team Canada in the tournament has just been multiplied 100 fold. For, as upset as Canadians have been so far with this team, everyone here truly believed they'd still pull at least this game out.

A loss in the quarter-finals? Unthinkable. (And especially so at the start of the tournament.)

To be honest, I really can't come up with an example of a best-on-best hockey tournament in which Canada played worse than this one in Turin. Even from the start, when a heavily overmatched Italian team played the Canadians to a 1-1 draw through 22 minutes, it was ugly.

Throwing out the round-robin games against Italy and Germany, Team Canada managed only three goals in four tournament games. In the comments section below, Robert Cleave sums it up by saying they looked 'big, slow and clueless.' No argument here.

The things that could go wrong for Canada did. Todd Bertuzzi took an embarassing penalty, the likes of which he's been taking for the past two years in Vancouver, that led to the winning goal by Russia. The team's defence looked out of place and sluggish without Scott Niedermayer and Ed Jovanovski manning the breakout. And, perhaps the most predictable aspect of the team's play, those on Team Canada not having banner years in the NHL didn't play all that well.

The hand-wringing in tomorrow's papers is going to be legendary. I imagine every paper will have at least one columnist opinining that the team's 'mix' was wrong, that Canada's brass assembled a spare-part team that failed to add up to a whole.

In part, they may be right, but, boy, is it easy to criticize in hindsight. The quibbles with the team's roster when it was selected in December were minor, so any holier than thou musings should be derided as such.

The most important thing that I think Canadians should take out of this tournament? The round robin matters. Too often we heard how Canada's poor play against Switzerland and Finland wouldn't matter, so long as they won their quarter-final game.

That's rather brash to think drawing Russia in a winner-take-all game 'doesn't matter.' For, as we saw today, they certainly could be — and were — the better team.

I've also got some advice for Janet Gretzky: Don't ever bet against Alex Ovechkin.

UPDATE The Globe and Mail's Eric Duhatschek hosted a live chat following the game.

2006 Turin Winter OlympicsMen's hockey: Sedin's &#%#^ bomb

Earlier, when I saw Vancouver Canucks Op Ed post this...

“We always play to win games,” forward Daniel Sedin said. “If you play for Sweden, you want to win games. It doesn’t matter what you’re playing for.”

Sedin then muttered an expletive, and walked away from reporters.

...I had thought it was a joke. Because, well, I had read that wire story online hours earlier in the way we all read wire stories on TSN — with one hand suppressing a yawn — and thought nothing of what was there. Obviously, I'd skipped over the offending bits.

Now, a player dropping an F-bomb (or other similar such word) in the locker room and around reporters isn't exactly newsworthy. But when it's Daniel Sedin... stop the presses.

Heh, Swedish players, in general, have a reputation for being mild-mannered and the Sedins are the mildest of the bunch. Generally, the rule goes, if you're looking for a postgame quote from the Canucks, head elsewhere lest you be looking to bulk up the 'snorefest' section of your article (which, let's face it, many reporters are).

Now, if Danny boy (pictured at right looking about as scary as a Pop-Tart) is going to be tossing around the 'bombs', well, him and his equally odd brother will start to get some more pub.

This is turning into a pretty 'bad-ass' season for the Sedins.

2006 Turin Winter OlympicsMen's hockey: Quarter-final matchups

At the very least, we're going to have three great hockey games tomorrow.

Switzerland (2) v. Sweden (3) - (10:30 a.m. EST)
This should be the odd man out in the 'three good games' scenario. Switzerland's plodding style won't make for compelling drama, unless the Swiss can jump out to a lead. Barring that, Sweden should be able to capitalize on a power play or two. The only real reason to watch will be the play of Martin Gerber, who may win goaltender of the tournament even if the Swiss team's journey ends here. (There'll be no pucks bouncing off of Henrik Lundqvist's head, I can tell you that.)

My pick: Sweden 2, Switzerland 0
(Canadian Press's Pierre LeBrun: Sweden 4, Switzerland 0)

Finland (1) v. USA (4) - (11:30 a.m. EST)
The Americans have actually played much better than their 1-3-1 record (and the fact they only beat Kazakhstan) would indicate. Still, considering how well the Finns have played in this tournament, it's going to be difficult for Team USA to turn things around dramatically for one game. Selanne has, once again, been terrific for Finland, and Antero Niittymaki has been more than adequate in goal. If you're planning your morning, I expect this'll be the day's second-best game.

My pick: Finland 4, USA 2
(Canadian Press's Pierre LeBrun: USA 3, Finland 2)

Russia (2) v. Canada (3) - (2:30 p.m. EST)
I had meant to say it earlier, but I'm sure no one wanted to draw Canada in the quarter-finals. As poorly as the Canadians have played to this point, every player on that team knows what awaits a loss in Turin — a national crisis — and we should see the most motivated Team Canada since 2002 on the ice tomorrow. The Russians have had a great tournament, but — as is generally the case with their teams — if they get scored on early, the wheels may fall off. Russia wins if they get huge efforts from their kids (Ovechkin, Malkin, Kovalchuk) although they'll be fighting some of the game's biggest and best on the Canadian blueline.

My pick: Canada 2, Russia 1
(Canadian Press's Pierre LeBrun: Canada 3, Russia 2)

Slovakia (1) v. Czech Republic (4) - (3:30 p.m. EST)
Make no mistake, this'll be a fantastic game. These two formerly joined countries have a hearty rivalry (with Slovakia's considered the 'kid brother' of the pair) and always skate as if they're playing for their lives against one another. The goaltenders will be the most noteable sidebar for both sides, but especially so for the Czechs. I really can't see them starting Tomas Vokoun after the egg he laid against Canada, which means former NHLer Milan Hnlicka will get the call. Hnlicka, who has been phenomenal in the Czech league this year, was known for unravelling at times when he played in North America and that could be the difference here. (Who would have thought Czech goaltending would have been a problem at tournament's start?) Keep your eye on Marian Gaborik, who has had a fantastic tournament for the Slovaks.

My pick: Slovakia 4, Czech Republic 2
(Canadian Press's Pierre LeBrun: Czech Republic 5, Slovakia 4)

2006 Turin Winter OlympicsMen's hockey: Tänker ni lägga er?

UPDATE Here's the story from today's Globe and Mail.
UPDATE2 TSN picked up this story this afternoon. The website they refer to is the Aftonbladet link you'll find just down page.

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It was a story on the other side of the ocean last night, and it'll be one this afternoon in North America.

In an interview with a Swedish television station, the Swedish men's hockey coach, Bengt-Åke Gustafsson, said his team was contemplating trying to lose their final round-robin game against Slovakia today (2 p.m. EST). (Swedish-language link)

The reason? To get a better seeding in the medal round quarter-finals, which begin Wednesday.

Prior to today's games, the Swedes sit in 3rd spot in Group B. A win against Slovakia would push Sweden ahead of the Slovaks and into a higher seed. And while under ordinary circumstances that would be considered a good thing, this time around a top two seed in Group B will get you an elimination-game date with either Canada or the Czech Republic.

The only caveat there is that Switzerland will have to defeat the winless Italian team in order to secure 2nd spot in Group A, something that the Swedish coach is obviously assuming will happen. It's also possible the Swiss may not be as motivated as they have been, given they've already secured a medal-round berth (and, besides, Italy has played well enough that they could beat them).

In any event, that's the news. And there's likely to be some discussion about this move not being 'in the spirit' of the Olympics.

I suppose the most surprising thing is that Sweden's coach would even mention this possibility to the media at all. Let's just say we won't be surprised to see their backup netminder tomorrow. (And, given how Sweden fared against another underdog in 2002 — Belarus — one imagines that they'd perhaps be avoiding another such scenario.)

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Other musings on the implications of tomorrow's games:

The schedule

1. Latvia vs. Kazakhstan - 5:30am et
2. Switzerland vs. Italy - 6:30am et
3. Finland vs. Germany - 9:30am et
4. Canada vs. Czech Republic - 10:30am et
5. Sweden vs. Slovakia - 2pm et
6. United States vs. Russia - 2:30pm et

Game one only has relegation-level ramifications, so we'll throw that one out. Let's also assume that Switzerland does, in fact, defeat Italy. We'll also put Finland over winless Germany (although it doesn't matter either way as the Finns are guaranteed top spot).

The standings with those games factored in and the four relegated teams removed:

Gr. A	W	L	T	PTS
Finland	5	0	0	10
Switzerland	3	1	1	7
Canada	2	2	0	4
Czech Rep.	2	2	0	4

Gr. B	W	L	T	PTS
Slovakia	4	0	0	8
Russia	3	1	0	6
Sweden	3	1	0	6
U.S.A.	1	2	1	3

Depending on the result of tomorrow's Canada-Czech game, those clubs will finish in either 3rd or 4th. It's in Group B where things get really 'interesting'.

The Americans can't move anywhere, win or lose, and will face first-place Finland in the quarter-finals. And, with a win by Russia and a loss by Slovakia, there'll be a three-way deadlock at 4-1-0. Russia holds a significant edge in goal differential at the moment, so we'll assume their win keeps them ahead in that scenario.

GROUP A v. GROUP B
1. Finland (guaranteed) v. 4. USA (barring a Latvian miracle)

2. Switzerland (must beat Italy) v. 3. If Slovaks win, Sweden. If Slovaks lose and Russia loses, Russia; Russia wins, Slovaks are 3rd.

3. Canada/Czech v. 2. If Slovaks win, Russia. If Slovaks lose and Russia loses, Slovaks; Russia wins, Sweden is 2nd.

4. Canada/Czech v. 1. Slovaks, if they win. If Slovaks lose and Russia loses, Sweden; Russia wins, they take stop spot.


Well, that was a tad more mind-bending than I'd thought it would be, but you get the idea. Let's just say that if Sweden succeeds in 'tanking' the game, Finland plays the U.S., Switzerland gets Sweden, Canada/Czech plays Russia/Slovakia.

Do we have any Swedes?

If anyone can translate a Swedish story, toss me a line.

UPDATE Found what I was looking for. More later.

2006 Turin Winter OlympicsMen's hockey: Canada looks to regroup

The CBC just broadcast Wayne Gretzky's meeting with the Canadian media in Turin today, and there were some interesting points made by The Great One. CP hasn't moved a story with quotes yet, but when they do, I'll provide them here.

Among other things, Gretzky is calling on the so-called 'young' players to step up and take some pressure off of the guys who have been there before (he names Joe Sakic, Jarome Iginla, Rob Blake — among others).

He's got a point, although I'm not entirely sure anyone has come through particularly well — Olympic veterans or not. Still, some of those who shone for Canada at the 2004 World Cup or recent world championships have been downright invisible thus far. (I'm looking at you, Tampa Bay threesome.)

The problem, as I see it, with the players sent to Turin is that the Team Canada brass failed to send more of the players who were playing well right now — and not two years ago during the World Cup. This team is basically a group of Canadian all-stars from before the lockout and hasn't really taken into account anything that's happened this season (aside from putting Bryan McCabe on as the seventh defenceman and Marty Turco as the third goaltender).

There are a ton of Canadians at the top of the scoring race who aren't playing — Eric Staal comes to mind first, but guys like Marc Savard, Alex Tanguay, Patrick Marleau, Jon Cheechoo and Jason Arnott weren't even looked at despite the fact they're all having terrific seasons. All of those snipers have more points than Todd Bertuzzi, Vincent Lecavalier, Ryan Smyth, Iginla, Martin St. Louis, Shane Doan and, yes, Kris Draper.

As centre Vincent Lecavalier noted, this is essentially the same roster from the World Cup of Hockey in September 2004. “And we won that tournament,” said the Tampa Bay Lightning forward.

Problem being, it's not 2004 anymore.

Now I'm not saying it's as easy as swapping out these guys for a few of the hot hands. But it does seem rather bizarre that, even as defensemen continued to go down to injury, Dion Phanuef doesn't get a call.

Right now, the European teams simply look hungrier than Canada, and one can't help but think that having a few young guys who haven't been there before could help motivate this team.

Of course, it's a heck of a lot easier to say now what the problems are with the team's roster (and there's going to be an awful lot of griping about the selections if Canada doesn't win gold) than it was two months ago. Even with the team Canada has sent, they should be one of the better teams. But, as the American women's team found out against Sweden, when it comes down to one game takes all (as it will on Wednesday in the quarter-finals), any team can win.

And never has that seemed truer than this year's Olympic tournament.

Here's Gretzky:

“This is the first time I ever remember at a championship of this magnitude that there wasn’t one easy quarter-final game. They’re all going to be good games. I just hope that we’re still standing at the end of it.”

Not exactly words that'll inspire confidence for Canadian fans.

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UPDATE For more from Gretzky, read below.
UPDATE2 Cosh already talked about this business earlier today.

2006 Turin Winter OlympicsMen's hockey: Gretzky speaks

“It seems like this Olympic Games is even bigger and the pressure on this group seems to be even more enormous. They want to do so well.

“You can feel it in the locker-room. You can see it in their eyes. We need to loosen them up. We need to have some fun out there.

“At the end of the day it’s hockey. If you’re not enjoying the game and you’re not having fun it’s hard to make a five-foot pass.

“As we said today we need to get our guys re-energized and refocused on some of the things they need to do better as a team and yet then also understand that this should be the greatest week of their lives and just enjoy that.”

“What became alarming was last night ... at the beginning of the game, our emotional level was not at the level of the Finnish hockey club. They were better than we were in the first period. They dominated us in the first period.

“The Finns just looked like they were really enjoying the game and really just playing hard and letting the game come to them and that seemed to be difference. So what we’ve got to do is we’ve got to find a way to raise our intensity level and yet raise the enjoyment level.

“We need this young group now, they’ve got to step up. And I’m not trying to put extra pressure on them, we need these young guys to now take some pressure off the older guys.

“And that’s what happened in ’02.”

2006 Turin Winter OlympicsMen's hockey: Canada v. Finland

I unfortunately didn't see much of today's game while at work, so you'll have to turn elsewhere for in-depth analysis. What I gather is that the media coverage in Canadian newspapers tomorrow morning may verge on being a little over-hysterical given the team lost two straight 2-0 games over the weekend.

2006 Turin Winter OlympicsWomen's hockey: A little brotherly love

The Swedish woman who scored the goal heard 'round the hockey world also happens to be the sister of a newspaper columnist, which makes for some interesting copy.

The thing I don't get is how does this guy not know what to write! Dan, if you can't provide some relevant insight into your sister and her hockey playing ability, who can? How's this for a column: What's holding Swedish women's hockey back (aside from the Swedish media's obvious disdain for the sport)?

I, for one, think it would be fantastic if more reporters actually played or were connected to the game in some way other than to the free donuts in the press box.

More bad luck for Theodore

It was hard to fathom how Jose Theodore's season could get any worse, but now comes word from TSN that Theodore has broken his heel after falling at his home and will miss six-to-eight weeks. Unbelievable.

2006 Turin Winter OlympicsMen's hockey: Switzerland 2, Canada 0

Heh... what can you say?

My post of two days ago was titled 'Upset territory', although I don't think this was really what I had in mind.

I'm not going to break into hyperbole — you'll hear enough of it over the next 24 hours — and I really don't know if this is 'the biggest ever upset' of Canada in international play. When a list of 'upsets' goes up here, I'll be sure to put it up.

In any event, Canada played poorly, Martin Gerber was fantastic and the Swiss play a pretty stifling style. If you're a Canadian hockey fan, you won't want to hear this, but what this game really reminded me of was Nagano: Team Canada players looking bewildered, taking stupid penalties and the team's coaching staff not having a clue what to do. Meanwhile, the pro-European crowd goes bonkers.

(Although we should keep in mind Canada did outshoot Switzerland 24-1 in the third period.)

On Thursday, I had said these one-off upsets (and, my, there have been a lot of them so far), wouldn't have implications on the tournament, and that still looks like it could be the case. Switzerland's all but guaranteed a medal-round berth after beating both the Czechs and Canadians, but with Italy and Germany tying today, those two seem destined for the relegation battles.

Now a 'Giant Killer,' The Swiss are going to scare the bejesus out of whatever team lines up with them in the quarter-finals. Both of the team's goaltenders — Colorado Avalanche 'tender Dave Aebischer being the other one — are hot coming in and considerered superstars in their home country.

On the other hand, Canada hasn't looked particularly good so far in this tournament, and their next two games will be very, very big. They play Finland tomorrow — a team that didn't allow a goal in its first two games and who is playing the Czechs later today. Is it time to panic if you're cheering for a repeat gold-medal performance from the Canucks? Probably.

Elsewhere this afternoon, Slovakia and the U.S. lineup in a game that should really show us if the Americans have come to play in Turin. The Slovaks have looked like the tournament's best team through two games, although that's not saying much considering the dogpile we've got going in the standings.

2006 Turin Winter OlympicsMen's hockey: Hasek's passport swap

When a headline is this absurdly awful, it deserves to be seen by as many eyeballs as possible.

Credit goes to Vancouver Canucks Op Ed for the linkage.

UPDATE They've since changed the headline to the equally wrong: "Czech Republic Downs Italy Without Injured Hasek". Originally it read: "Canada Downs Italy Without Injured Hasek". Who wants to bet next time they get it right?

(Correct answer to above question: Janet Gretzky)

Oooooo, that's a low blow, Mirtle.

2006 Turin Winter OlympicsWomen's hockey: Sweden topples U.S.

I talked a little bit about upsets on the men's side of things yesterday, but I, like all other observers, wasn't even imagining any upset possibilities in the women's semi-final games this afternoon.

Shows what I know.

Sweden's women's side defeated the heavily favoured American team 3-2 in a shootout earlier today. The best part about the game is that a Swedish win should put to rest all of the griping lately over how uncompetitive the women's side is at the Olympics. (I myself had called it 'the Olympics' only two-country sport' in a headline earlier this week.)

In October, I had a Q&A with Sweden's backup goaltender, Cecilia Anderson, for a small story in The Globe, and she talked a bit about the state of women's hockey in her country. Growing up in her small hometown, she was encouraged to play so-called 'girls' sports' — not hockey — and always had to play for boy's teams. Only once she came to play in Canada, at Concordia University in Montreal, did the Swedish national team take notice and bring her into the program.

It's amazing, then, that the Swedish team can even compete with programs like Canada and the U.S., where the women's game has really flourished and women are often given scholarships to play. If this is how Sweden fares with such an anemic development system, imagine how well it can do once women are given more opportunities to play?

Canada and Finland play in the second semi-final later today, and I'll be watching intently to see if we can truly expand our definitions of women's hockey to a 'four-country sport.'

As of right now, we're up to three.

Chelios wants Saskin out... still

This week's issue of The Hockey News featured a lengthy interview with Team American captain Chris Chelios, and, boy, is he still hopping about the NHLPA fracas (I'm going to quote a big chunk of Mike Brophy's piece here, but the whole thing is worth a read):

THN: Is the Ted Saskin affair over as far as you are concerned?

Chelios: No, it's far from over no matter what Ted says. He thinks because he cleared himself legally by hiring lawyers and finding loopholes in the law, but I have always said I didn't care whether it was legal or not, we just had to brings lawyers in to try to slow him down and do what is right.

THN: What was it that bothered you the most?

Chelios: Basically it was three things: when our executive committee, which was being guided by Ted, decided to take things into their own hands, the way they handled the firing of Bob Goodenow, a great guy who did a tremendous job for us over the past 15 years and then going ahead and hiring Ted and giving him an increase in his salary which was done unethically. I have said all along there are criminals walking the streets because lawyers found loopholes in the law. That doesn't mean they aren't guilty; it just means they found ways to keep them out of jail. That's what lawyers do. Right now Ted is not allowing the players to be educated. He is still not showing side letters from the CBA that are now coming out which, had the players been aware of, they would not have never been voted in.

THN: What would make you happy now?

Chelios: I would say, after speaking with Ted and the executive committee over the past three or four months, I would like to see everyone replaced. We need new leadership. We got our butts handed to us in that negotiation, and that's fine. I expected a luxury tax and a salary cap and I'm not blaming anybody for the deal, but I think it's time for our whole executive committee to step down. We need to get all new leaders. For the guys who were there with Bob to turn on him like they did, they now expect us to trust them. That is totally unacceptable.

2006 Turin Winter OlympicsMen's hockey: Upset territory

Well, two days in and already we've seen two 'upsets' in the Olympic hockey tournament, which is leading some to make dire predictions for the favoured teams that lost.

Team USA tied a plucky Latvian team yesterday, one that is going to give all of the big teams fits, and today, the Czech Republic lost 3-2 to Switzerland. (Russia lost 5-3 to Slovakia yesterday as well, but I hardly consider that an upset given the quality team the Slovaks have this year.)

The thing is, as long as the top teams qualify for the quarter-finals (nearly a given with Italy and Kazakhstan holding the bottom in each group), these round-robin upsets hardly matter. What they may mean, however, is that teams finishing at the top of their groups (say Canada in Group A and the Slovaks in Group B) may meet a much tougher opposition than you'd expect.

Canada v. Sweden in the first elimination game, perhaps?

Down with the media

Well, I had said on Eric McErlain's site I would offer a rebuttal to his PR expert's musings, but I'm tired of writing about poor old Wayne and you're tired of reading about it.

I will say, however, that the popularity of the sports media is at an all-time low. And it wasn't all that high to begin with. (It sort of makes you feel like a lawyer — minus the salary, of course.)

Steve Moore files civil lawsuit

We knew it was coming, but definitely the most interesting aspect of this move is its timing. Another media sideshow for the team to deal with.

And I was just thinking this morning how CBC's interview with Bertuzzi following the game was probably the first large-scale Q&A in which he wasn't asked about 'the incident.' I hope he enjoyed it while it lasted.

Andy Grabia has more.

Big Z carries on family's Olympic tradition

Like Canada's Martin Brodeur, Slovakia's Zdeno Chara is the second athlete in his family to play in the Olympic Games, as his father was a Greco-Roman wrestler in 1976.

"Unfortunately, he didn't place very well because he got injured and finished eighth in his category of Greco-Roman wrestling. He was a thick guy, about 6-1 and 240 pounds in his prime. He still competed until he was 47, so he was a big competitor. He has been professionally active for over 30 years. My Dad always taught me to be a good example, work hard, do your best and to give 100 percent every time."

If you've ever seen Chara's fighting style, you know he's incorporated some of his father's moves into playing hockey.

Gretzky and his media friends

Well, the story now (is there a story?) is that Gretzky's being hounded by the media. Or, at least so says the media that is hounding him.

Now, I'm reporting on the media reporting on the media circus. Soon, other bloggers will write about me writing about the media writing about the media circus.

In short, it's getting good. (I'm kidding.)

I found myself wondering tonight, what I would write if I was assigned to 'cover' the Gretzky 'story.' (Because, as much as the public is railing against the guys on the ground for this story, they for the most part aren't picking their stories — and certainly aren't putting them on the front page. Although, to be fair, people are railing against, simply, 'the media' — and everyone and anything associated with it.)

I'd probably write... Gretzky looks tired. He's surrounded by xxx number of media members. He was asked 'blah blah blah' to which he said 'blah blah blah.' And, the dance continued.

The thing is, Gretzky looks and sounds tired because it's just hopelessly, unbelievably draining to engage in a mindless question and answer where both sides already know the questions and answers.

Just thinking about it makes me glad I'm sitting on the desk.

Still, some of the criticism being thrown the media's way is, well, as silly as all this business that's going on now. (Public opinion on the matter can be easily weighed by perusing the comments section over at The Toronto Star's The Spin.)

One of the biggest problems with what has come out in opinion columns on the Gretzky issue the past few days is that much of the 'opinion' was based on untrue allegations: That Wayne denied knowledge of the gambling ring when the police had wiretaps of him talking about it earlier. (Here's a Tim Panaccio column that highlights that nicely.)

Now, nothing in Panaccio's piece is libelling Gretzky. So throw that complaint out. Nor is he saying Gretzky's 'a bad guy,' like many are complaining the media has made him out to be. In Panaccio's 'opinion,' based on the inaccurate information leaked, Gretzky should have stayed home. Even if we don't agree with that, it's fair comment.

The truth is, there has been a lot of decent reporting of the events of the last few days. There has also been, unfortunately, a lot of garbage. But I don't think it's acceptable, in the face of that, to simply charge 'the media' as being an unfair monster. That's too simple-minded, too easy. It's committing the same faults for which the criticism is being levied. Rather, let's put names out there, quote articles and write about specific problems with the coverage. That, I have no problem with.

The only way bad journalism wins out is if the demand for it is there. Right now, and with this story, it's there.

(And let's keep in mind that Don Cherry's 'show the front page' exercise offered nothing in the way of critical analysis other than 'Look! Gretzky's in the news!' That fact, in itself, is not bad. It simply is.)

In any event, those talking about this story will get their wish and the story will croak soon, as it has been long beaten to death — even by schlock-media standards.

Should Canada not win the gold medal, however, it'll be back. (Probably uglier than ever.) And, at least by some, the Gretzky sideshow will be blamed for the loss.

But not here.

2006 Turin Winter OlympicsMen's hockey: Canada v. Italy

I'll be up, bright and early tomorrow morning to watch the first men's hockey game of the 2006 Olympics.

Check in here, should you wish, for some running commentary. (But you'll have to excuse any typos, given the game's early hour.)

UPDATE Well, Blogger was in the toilet this morning, which ruled out any running commentary. Despite the lopsided outcome, Team Canada obviously was trying to find their legs early in the game, and the fact the Italians have been playing together for the past three years or so really seemed to benefit them. There's a decent chance they won't finish at the bottom of the tournament, which would be a victory for Italy.

Todd Bertuzzi played very well and was quite possibly Canada's best player. As Canucks' fans have seen over the years, a motivated Bertuzzi is a dominant player.

Canada draws Germany tomorrow, who are international hockey's version of an even more defensive Minnesota Wild. Canada struggled against the Germans in 2002, but this club should be a weaker entry without Marco Sturm and Jochen Hecht up front. Look for Olaf Kolzig to be impressive in net.

Meet Greg Stewart

With The Globe and Mail printing a full eight-page Olympic section and the NHL on hiatus, the rest of the sports section has opened up considerably. Enter my story from today's paper, about Greg Stewart, a university basketball player who plays with a prosthetic left arm.

Who knows — maybe having a separate sports section during the Olympics will let the paper include all kinds of stories that otherwise wouldn't find the space.

More later, perhaps.

Rearranging the furniture

Well, a few recent blog deaths necessitated an update to the blogroll. We lost dear friends The Net Files and The Hockey Page, both of whom can be described as due to 'corporate reasons.'

Because it was a mainstream media endeavor, The Hockey Page in particular will be missed. First of all, unlike many attempts by the msm to enter the medium, it actually functioned like a blog (updating as news/games happened) and was part of the community we have here (linking to other, similarly themed sites). It was also evident the minds behind it were spending time to make the content both relevant and slightly irreverent — two more musts.

Looking to keep my link list at a nice round 20, I've added two other Toronto Star entries — Chris Young's JAB on Sports and columnist Damien Cox's The Spin.

Since Chris was one of the fellows behind The Hockey Page, I don't doubt his own blog will continue to produce quality link-worthy content (even if he does veer into other, not-so-hockey-like sports). As for Cox, I'm curious to see whether or not the entries will be (a) intermittent and/or (b) essentially on-line columns disguised as blog entries.

For now, however, he's in Turin, I'm not, and on that basis alone, his blog gets linkage.

2006 Turin Winter OlympicsU.S. women criticize Canadian romps

This, to me, doesn't make any sense.

It's not the Canadian team's fault that the field in women's hockey is so weak, nor can they control that the format of the tournament depends on goal differential -- and by extension, lopsided scores -- for tiebreakers in the playoff rounds.

In related news, Angela Ruggiero is bloggin' on her website. I'd be interested to hear her comment on this story, as she's the one quoted in the Canadian Press story.

2006 Turin Winter OlympicsWotherspoon's dumped on by Canadian fans

I'm not sure if it's due to Canadians' insecurity over their sporting prowess, but the reaction to long-track speed skater Jeremy Wotherspoon's ninth-place finish (see the commentary section at TSN.ca for a sample) has been ridiculous.

The 500m race is akin to the 100m dash in the Summer Olympics, meaning mere fractions of seconds make the difference. Ultimately, the difference between his spot in the standings and a bronze medal was less than a quarter of a second (0.00.23) over two races.

Did Wotherspoon have his best race? No. But to call him a choker is unacceptable, especially from armchair fans who know nothing of the sport other than the pre-Olympic hype they read a few days earlier.

2006 Turin Winter OlympicsMen's hockey: Facts and figures

Things are slow so far today. No medals yet, and we're basically just waiting for the final race in the men's 500m long-track speed skating (Canada's Jeremy Wotherspoon is currently in 5th following the first round).

That said, I've got a copy of the NHL Olympic Guide for 2006 and it's chock full of interesting tidbits heading into this year's tournament.

NHL players by country (2006)
Canada 606
United States 178
Czech/Slovakia 126
Russia 89
Sweden 57
Finland 42

NHL players by country (1996)
Canada 533
United States 149
Czech/Slovakia 44
Russia 63
Sweden 33
Finland 16

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Number of current NHL goaltenders who have won an Olympic medal: 9
Ed Belfour (Gold, 2002), Martin Brodeur (Gold, 2002), Ilya Bryzgalov (Bronze, 2002), Sean Burke (Silver, 1992), Mike Dunham (Silver, 2002), Dominik Hasek (Gold, 1998), Curtis Joseph (Gold, 2002), Nikolai Khabibulin (Gold, 1992; Bronze, 2002) and Manny Legace (Silver, 1994).

Number of current NHL skaters who have won an Olympic medal: 94

Current NHLers - leading scorers at the Olympics:
Teemu Selanne (1992, 1998, 2002) 17 GP, 24 Pts
Robert Lang (1992, 1998, 2002) 18 GP, 19 Pts
Saku Koivu (1994, 1998) 14 GP, 17 Pts
Eric Lindros (1992, 1998, 2002) 20 GP, 17 Pts
Scott Young (1988, 1998, 2002) 20 GP, 15 Pts

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All-time popular birthplaces (by country):
Canada (1. Toronto, 2. Montreal, 3. Winnipeg, 4. Edmonton, 5. Ottawa)
Czech Republic (1. Most, 1. Prague, 3. Kladno, 3. Pardubice, 5. Four cities tied)
Finland (1. Tampere, 2. Helsinki, 3. Turku, 4. Oulu, 5. Espoo, 5. Vantaa)
Russia (1. Moscow, 2. Chelyabinski, 3. Voskresensk, 4. Leningrad, 4. Togliatti)
Slovakia (1. Trencin, 2. Bratislava, 3. Kosice, 3. Martin, 5. Banska Bystrica, 5. Skalica)
Sweden (1. Stockholm, 2. Ornskoldsvik, 3. Goteborg, 4. Skelleftea, 5. Umea)
United States (1. St. Paul, 2. Boston, 3. Detroit, 4. Chicago, 5. Buffalo)

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City most represented on 2006 roster:
Canada: Two players from both Toronto (Adam Foote, Kris Draper) and Montreal (Martin Brodeur, Roberto Luongo)
Czech Republic: Three players from Pardubice (Jan Bulis, Dominik Hasek, Ales Hemsky)
Finland: Five players from Turku (Aki Berg, Mikko Koivu, Saku Koivu, Antero Niittymaki, Sami Salo)
Russia: Seven players from Moscow (Maxim Afinogenov, Alexander Frolov, Alexander Kharitonov, Danny Markov, Alex Ovechkin, Anton Volchenkov, Alex Zhamnov)
Slovakia: Four players from Banska Bystrica (Peter Budaj, Michal Handzus, Ivan Majesky, Richard Zednik)
Sweden: Four players from Ornskoldsvik (Peter Forsberg, Samuel Pahlsson, Daniel Sedin, Henrik Sedin)
United States: Four players from Detroit area (Mike Modano, Derian Hatcher, Doug Weight, Brian Rolston)

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NHL LEADERS AT THE OLYMPIC BREAK
Points: (88) Jaromir Jagr, Rangers (Czech)
Goals: (40) Jaromir Jagr, Rangers (Czech)
Assists: (60) Joe Thornton, Sharks (Canada)
Plus/Minus: (+34) Andrej Meszaros, Senators (Slovakia)
Average Time on Ice: (28:41) Nicklas Lidstrom, Red Wings (Sweden)
Shots on Goal: (283) Alexander Ovechkin, Capitals (Russia)
Power-Play Goals: (20) Ilya Kovalchuk, Thrashers (Russia)
Power-Play Assists: (30) Nicklas Lidstrom, Red Wings (Sweden)
Shorthanded Goals: (5) Daniel Alfredsson, Senators (Sweden)
Game-Winning Goals: (9) Marek Svatos, Avalanche (Slovakia)
Face-off Percentage: (62%) Yanic Perreault, Predators

GOALTENDER LEADERS
Wins: (29) Miikka Kiprusoff, Flames, and Marty Turco, Stars
GAA: (1.99) Manny Legace, Red Wings
Save Percentage: (.927) Henrik Lundqvist, Rangers (Sweden)
Saves: (1,626) Roberto Luongo, Panthers (Canada)
Shots Against: (1,779) Roberto Luongo, Panthers (Canada)
Shutouts: (6) Miikka Kiprusoff, Flames

ROOKIE LEADERS
Points: (69) Alexander Ovechkin, Capitals (Russia)
Goals: (36) Alexander Ovechkin, Capitals (Russia)
Assists: (37) Sidney Crosby, Penguins
Plus/Minus: (+34) Andrej Meszaros, Senators (Slovakia)
Average Time on Ice: (23:19) Ryan Whitney, Penguins
Shots on Goal: (283) Alexander Ovechkin, Capitals (Russia)
Power-Play Goals: (15) Alexander Ovechkin, Capitals (Russia)
Power-Play Assists: (19) Sidney Crosby, Penguins
Shorthanded Goals: (3) Mike Richards, Flyers
Game-Winning Goals: (9) Marek Svatos, Avalanche (Slovakia)
Goals-Against Average: (2.09) Henrik Lundqvist, Rangers (Sweden)
Save Percentage: (.927) Henrik Lundqvist, Rangers (Sweden)

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Notable team staff
Pavel Bure, Russia general manager (Former NHLer)
Jim Corsi, Italy assistant coach (Buffalo Sabres goaltending coach)
Wayne Gretzky, Canada executive director
Ken Hitchcock, Canada associate coach (Philadelphia Flyers head coach)
Uwe Krupp, Germany head coach (Former NHLer)
Jari Kurri, Finland general manager (Former NHLer)
Peter Laviolette, USA head coach (Carolina Hurricanes head coach)
Kevin Lowe, Canada assistant executive director (Edmonton Oilers general manager)
Jacques Martin, Canada associate coach (Florida Panthers head coach)
Mats Naslund, Sweden general manager (Former NHLer)
Sergei Nemchinov, Russia assistant coach (Former NHLer)
Pat Quinn, Canada head coach (Toronto Maple Leafs head coach)
Peter Stastny, Slovakia general manager (Former NHLer)
Mike Sullivan, USA assistant coach (Boston Bruins head coach)
Steve Tambellini, Canada director of player personnel (Vancouver Canucks vice president and assistant general manager)
Don Waddell, USA general manager (Atlanta Thrashers general manager)

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Whew, that's a lot of stuff. There are also quotes from every Olympic-bound NHLer, the most interesting of which I'll post later.

2006 Turin Winter OlympicsPredictions of Olympic proportion

Lame headlines — they're my specialty.™

Well, I'm sitting here tonight, watching as the last NHL game we'll see in a while plays out (Vancouver's winning, 1-0, after a Ryan Kesler goal). Normally, knowing there'd be a period without the NHL for more than 24 hours, I'd be worried. I'd worry about waking up a few days from now, grungy and unkempt in the Air Canada Centre's lobby and clutching a two-day old newspaper page with ECHL sports agate on it. (It's happened.)

This hockey 'break,' however, is only momentary. For, on Wednesday at 7 a.m. EST, Team Canada takes on the mighty Italians at the Olympics.

That, my friends, will be — dare I said it — joygasmic.

And, as with all large-scale events of this sort, the predictions are rolling in. Why, here's the venerable Jes Golbez's. And this week's edition of The Hockey News weighs in, too. So do many other sites and places which I've not taken the time to look up or read.

The point is — it's my turn.

But first, I've got a secret for you, my well-loved readers. Come now, lean in close and I'm going to tell you something no one else has about the men's Olympic hockey tournament. It's a deep, dark — and some would say unbelievable — secret.

You know that American team, the one most are predicting to finish near the bottom of the Group of 7? They're pretty good. Worthy-of-a-medal good.

Crazy talk?

Perhaps. But, then again, there were those who ridiculed me for putting the Hurricanes in the playoffs.

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My picks

Goooooald! Cżêch Ŕepubļīc. Shades of Nagano? Yes. My country of residence writhing in pain? Most likely. Members of my profession speaking apocalyptically? Undoubtedly.

The Czechs are great in goal, stronger on the blue line than they've ever been (Kabërle x 2, Mãlik, Kûbinã, Zidlicky) and have the Jagr & friends factor working for them. That — and they want it bad. (Squiggly lines added for pronunciation and Golbez's benefit.)


Hi-hoooo Silver! Canada. Writhing? Check. Speaking apocalyptically? Check. A respectable finish? But of course.

My, my is Canada beat up on the blue line. I'm fully expecting an anvil to fall on Robyn Regehr's head in the team's game with Italy on Wednesday. Chris Pronger is going to be playing with a broken foot, which sounds like an ungood idea, and the team's down to its 7th and 8th stringers (which, if you've seen Dion Phaneuf play this season, you know are actually our 8th and 9th stringers). Canada's round robin games are a breeze, but there's nothing easy about who they'll face in the playoff rounds.


Bronze. The United States.

Dear America,
As I've foresaken my birthplace by predicting Canada may not win every international hockey tournament ever, I will henceforth need a new country in which to live. I hope that this token of my appreciation will be enough to secure my green card.
Sincerely,
Jimmy

I mentioned the Hurricanes earlier and, aside from Erik Cole and Bret Hedican, there are a few similarities between the Americans and Carolina. The most prominent of those? Pete Laviolette.

Laviolette will win the Jack Adams Trophy this year as the NHL's coach of the year, and he'll bring that same sort of work ethic in his approach to coaching an 'underdog' American team. In addition to their coach, the Yankees have more players having career years than any other Olympic team: Cole, Conroy, Gionta, Gomez, Knuble, Rolston and Liles.

The loss of Aaron Miller on the backend will hurt some, but while everyone is pointing to goal as the U.S.'s real weakness, do remember Bob Esche taking the Flyers to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals in 2004 (not to mention his 15-6-3 record this season). John Grahame has also played well recently.

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4. Sweden. Finally, the Swedes have a world-class goaltender in Henrik Lundqvist and that should do wonders for the team's confidence. Salt Lake City was a nightmare for this team, and with Markus Naslund out and Peter Forsberg ailing, there are some concerns. Still, if Matty Norstrom is ready to go, that's a mighty nice defence core in front of one of the NHL's best goaltenders this year.

5. Slovakia. If you hear a commentator talking about the 'Big 6' countries in men's hockey, they're out to lunch. With a solid NHL netminder, the Slovaks are one of the best teams there. With Peter Budaj (or whoever), Slovakia is still a definite medal contender. This is the best group of blueliners I've ever seen this team put together.

6. Russia. The odd thing about the Russian team is how many non-NHLers they have on the roster (4). Of course, one of those is Evgeni Malkin, but even still, the number of Russian-born NHLers who still don't want to play for country is startling. This will be a fun team to watch, but I just don't think I can take a team led by GM Pavel Bure that seriously. Not yet, anyways.

7. Finland. The Fins always, always leave everything on the table in international competition. It's probably a stretch for them to fall this far, but for this team to medal with all of the injuries they've had seems improbable. The downgrade in goal alone will have Finland knocked out in the quarter-finals.

8. Germany. If an NHL team lost Jochen Hecht and Marco Sturm, it'd be more than a minor inconvenience. For Deutschland, it means 94 per cent of their offense won't be in Turin. Olaf Kolzig will feel like he's still playing in Washington. Without Alex Ovechkin.

9. Latvia. The return of Arturs Irbe.

Check that. The return of Arturs Irbe — at age 39. You've got to admit, that screams 'upset'.

10. Switzerland. Martin Gerber's the man here, and he's not a bad man to have. Unfortunately, they need more men. Men like him. (Where else can you get analysis like this?)

11. Kazakhstan. If Olympic teams had team names, they'd be the Kazakhstan Antropovs. Enough said.


12. Italy. Under five goals scored, 50-plus goals against and not another appearance in the Olympics this century. Sounds like a successful tournament to me.

On the Olympic desk

That's where I'm spending my afternoon today (and for the next two weeks, I suppose). Later tonight, however, I'll have my picks for the men's hockey tournament as well as my contribution for On The Wings' carnival o' captains scheduled for tomorrow.

A double shot of goodness. But first, more luge watching.

UPDATE The carnival has been postponed, so you'll have to stay tuned for only one new entry from me for tonight (probably closer to 11 p.m. EST). Oh what secrets I'll reveal...

2006 Turin Winter OlympicsWomen's hockey: Canada v. Italy

Well, in all of the Olympic heads' infinite wisdom, they've decided to ice Italian teams in both men's and women's hockey this time around. While I can certainly understand the desire to have the home team well represented, there has to be a limit to the insanity.

Take this afternoon's game in women's hockey, where 22 minutes in, it's currently 7-0 for Team Canada. At that pace, the game will end in a 20-0 rout.

The unfortunate thing about a competition like the Olympic Games is that goals for and against count in round robin play, so even when the score gets horribly lopsided, the dominating team can't 'let up.' I'm not sure exactly what having a women's hockey team represented by a country that has scantly more than 200 females playing the game is supposed to do for Italy's morale.

And, this, of course, is a prelude to Joe Sakic and Co. taking on the Italian men's side on Wednesday. I can't wait.

UPDATE A 16-0 win for the Canadian women. The fact is, in women's hockey, none of the games matter unless it's Canada v. USA. The talent gap is that large.

Olympic hockey for dummies

The CBC is putting out 'sport explainers' for each of the Olympic sports, but the one for hockey may give its readers too little credit (click here, head down to sport explainer).

My favourite? "This black puck can be propelled at speeds over 95 mph." (The one in the info graphic? Really!?)

Thanks to Alasdair for the pointer.

Scotty Bowman tests positive for Viagra

No, not really. But the latest reports on Jose Theodore testing positive for Propecia, a hair restoration drug, are about as bizarre.

And I've had enough bizarre NHL stories for one week. Bring on the Olympics — please.

How deep are we, Mr. Gretzky?

"The reality is, I'm not involved, I wasn't involved and I'm not going to be involved."

— Wayne Gretzky
February 7, 2006

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There are a few things that almost go without saying today, now that Wayne Gretzky has been caught talking about the gambling ring on wiretaps.

Gretzky's not going to Turin. Imagine the sideshow if he did? Here's the Toronto Star's Damien Cox in his baby blog:

The clear question that follows all of this, at least for Canadians, is should Gretzky go to Turin? You can bet European journalists are not going to be shy about raising the gambling story, just as they're going to be very, very interested in going over the entire Steve Moore incident again with Canadian Olympic winger Todd Bertuzzi.

Regardless, this whole business is going to affect Team Canada's hockey team. Questions are going to be asked of the team's players and coaches for the duration of the tournament (it's already started), and, if Canada slips and — gasp — doesn't win gold, you better believe the postscripts will all point to this deal.

So, if Gretzky steps down from Team Canada, the question then becomes 'where does it end?' Does he leave the Coyotes? Sell his interest in the team? Leave hockey altogether?

Sound crazy? Well, we're headed into crazy territory. As Cox says, it's getting messier.

Sportsnet is reporting Janet Gretzky will be making a statement later today, so stay tuned.

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UPDATE And here, too, is the Vancouver Sun's Cam Cole, a guy who cut his teeth as a sportswriter covering Gretzky and all those Oiler dynasties in the '80s.

It's got to be killing the NHL. It's got to be killing Team Canada, whose arrival in Turin on Tuesday morning was going to be a triumphant one for the defending gold medallists. But now, the head of the delegation is going to be here, holding the bag for his wife and his buddy, Tocchet. There is no hiding, once Gretzky is on the ground in Italy. He's not involved, but his good name surely is.

Gambling, money laundering and conspiracy. Maybe racketeering, before it's all over. That's for Tocchet.

Even if none of it ends up touching The Great One, it will have come closer than we would ever have believed.

Canada's depth trumps all: Example 152

From the wire: Surovy replaces Nagy for Slovakia

No offence to Tomas Surovy, but he's no Nagy. Speaking of which, his season-ending knee injury is killing me in my hockey pool.

The Rick Tocchet scandal: Day 3

So let's review. Until yesterday, when the New Jersey state police went public with a gambling investigation that could have far-reaching implications for the National Hockey League, things had gone pretty well for commissioner Gary Bettman in the post-lockout season.

Attendance records were being established, month-after-month. The on-ice product was receiving mostly positive notices.

The Olympic break was only six days away and Wayne Gretzky, executive director of Canada's men's Olympic team, was putting the finishing touches on the roster of a team favoured to win a gold medal.

Then, the news broke that Gretzky's assistant coach with the Phoenix Coyotes, Rick Tocchet, had been accused of financing an illegal betting operation, with ties to organized crime, and that Gretzky's wife, Janet Jones, had made bets with the syndicate.

And suddenly, all that promise, all that good news, went up in an ugly puff of smoke.

— Eric Duhatschek
The Globe and Mail
Feb. 8, 2006

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That's about as good a summary of the situation as I've read, and rather than rehash it in my own, less-impressive words, I'll let The 'Hat do the talking (or writing, as it were).

There's so much to be said, but I'll start by saying that my general feeling on the entire Tocchet matter is one of utter disappointment. As much as the next 'fan' of hockey, I enjoy talking about the minutia of the game — what happens on the ice. And after a full year without any action, the sort of 'yes it's back!' celebration many have been experiencing is fantastic.

That's not to say the league's return has been all good. Still, after following the sordid details of the lockout for over a year, it was wonderful to get back to talking about, well — anything related to the ice. The Panthers' woeful defence. The Sabres' breakout plays. The emergence of Kari Lehtonen. Anything to do with the game itself.

Mr. Tocchet's dallyings in sports betting schemes don't apply.

So, I can surely sympathize with Jes Golbez, who really, really doesn't want to hear another word about this story. If there was a choice, for instance, between having said scenario exist and not exist, I know exactly what I'd choose.

Alas, we aren't given a choice. And whether we 'give a rat's ass' or not, this story has huge implications for hockey, implications that someone who is as ardent a follower as myself can't ignore.

Tom Benjamin offers an excellent summary of most of the balls in the air here, and it should be required reading, even for those who want to shut their ears to all of it.

A few brief words and then the 'why you should care.'

And, when those same people meet a hockey player like Jarome Iginla ... they'll have already decided hockey might not be worth their time.

While the scale of the gambling ring has yet to come fully into view, you can be certain it's far from the 'mom & pop' small-scale betting some commentators have speculated. The $1.7-million in play resulted from only a 40-day window, and evidence suggests this is a scheme that has been in operation for some time.

Really, however, all you need to know is the key players involved. The assistant coach of an NHL franchise. Wayne Gretzky's wife (and, by extension, The Great One himself). Current NHLers, two of whom are all but confirmed to be current Pittsburgh Penguins Mark Recchi and John Leclair (both who have recently obtained legal counsel). The mob.

Can you, as a hockey fan, ignore this story outright? Definitely. The games are going to continue to be played and the great plays will be added to a season already full of highlights. Hockey's popularity in the United States is also not likely to suffer much, at least where the dollar amounts are concerned.

But charges such as these speak to something that's within hockey, something we — even as lowly fans and fledgling media members — shouldn't allow to pass unmolested. It's the kind of above-the-law mentality Alan Eagleson brought to his business affairs for 20-some years — something that, when it erupted, took away from how great the sport — and it's participants — really are.

The average person in the United States (and elsewhere) won't remember the whos and whys behind the NHL's involvement in this scandal. They'll pick up their New York Times — where this story was on the front page yesterday — and associate (perhaps forever) hockey with gambling, the mob and the same barbarism they saw when Todd Bertuzzi's image endlessly graced television news in February, 2004.

And, when those same people meet a hockey player like Jarome Iginla, or look to invest their dollars in a charity like the work Trevor Linden does each year, they'll have already decided hockey might not be worth their time.

"This Iginla fellow, I don't know about him," they might say. "They always said Tocchet was such a nice guy and look what happened with him."

"And if Gretzky's involved, who can you trust?"

Is that educated reasoning? Hardly. But the good that comes from hockey, the real kindness and effort players, coaches, volunteers — everyone — put into the game, is too often overshadowed by the underlying ugliness.

It matters. It matters because if we all stick our heads in the sand and pretend this is an insignificant, isolated event, it'll always be there. It'll always obscure players like Markus Naslund, a devout Christian from a small-town Sweden who contributes significant portions of his time to things like Canuck Place. And he's one of hundreds.

This isn't about ensuring the game's popularity in the United States. It's about cultivating something within hockey that is bigger and better than hits, goals, wins and the Stanley Cup.

Because Jes is right — the sport's not going to die from this or any of hockey's other historical indiscretions. It's just never going to reach the heights it should.