You often hear your favourite NHL commentator talking about a player's plus/minus rating. Currently, Zach Parise of the Devils leads the NHL with a very respectable plus-18. To put that into some sort of perspective, consider the plus/minus of the NHL's all-time, single-season leader. During the 1970-71 season, the Bruins' Bobby Orr led the NHL with a rating of plus-124. Needless to say, it's a record that will likely never be broken. And now, on to this week's questions.
Name: Brent from The Rock
Comment:
Hey Jim, I'm a big fan of your weekly article. I was thinking of the upcoming Olympics and talking about Canada's chances. To me, it looks like a four-team tournament with Canada, Russia, USA and Sweden with Finland, Czechs or Slovaks coming in as one of the surprise teams. What do you think?
Answer:
Hi Brent, it's always nice to hear from someone from The Rock. By all rights, Canada should be the favourite and come away from Vancouver with the gold medal. However, there are teams more than capable of knocking off Canada. The Russians have studs like Alexander Ovechkin, Alexander Semin and Evgeny Malkin. The Americans have one of the hottest goalies in the NHL right now in Ryan Miller. The Finns have Miikka Kiprusoff. The Swedes don't scare me as much as they have in previous years and The Czechs are not a team I would take lightly. Make no mistake, if Canada wins the gold medal at the Vancouver Games, they will have earned every bit of it. If there's one team that scares me most, it's the Russians. They have so much speed, talent and firepower up front that they're capable of running the table in Vancouver. I also think that I would give Martin Brodeur the start in goal over Roberto Luongo. I certainly don't envy Steve Yzerman and the Team Canada braintrust -- they have some brutally tough decisions to make the next two weeks. No matter what they do, they will be criticized for whomever makes the cut.
Name: Jim in Fort McMurray
Comment:
Hey there Mr. Lang from a cold -30c up here in Fort McMurray home of the clean oil....lol. My question is with regards to head shots. I agree something should be done to curb that type of play but why not make changes to the equipment? The shoulder and elbow pads are like cement. I remember in my younger days the pads were a much softer material and served its purpose for safety. Thanks, keep up the good work and Merry Christmas to you and your family.
Answer:
Minus-30 Celsius! Holy schnikes Jim, that's cold. You bring up a good point. I was in SportChek with my wife and kids the other day and I was stunned to see the shoulder pads on the racks. They're basically a smaller version of football shoulder pads. For years, the good old shoulder-cap pads worked for the legends of the game. Now, almost every player is wearing these gladiator pads - the same thing with elbow pads. The teams will argue that they need to protect their players from injury. In other words, the teams like the players to wear these uber pads to protect their high-priced assets. I am with you -- there's a way to make pads that provide the maximum protection, without inflicting injuries to other players. The last time I checked, Brendan Shanahan played 21 seasons in the NHL with those old-school shoulder pads. There has to be a way to use modern technology to make smaller pads that protect players without looking like gladiators. Thanks for the kind words and all the best this holiday season to your family as well.
Name: Corey
Comment:
Hi Jim, while I'm not a huge CFL fan but I really enjoyed the Grey Cup this year and will probably make a point to watch more Canadian Football next summer. I'm confused about something though, how come the BC Lions played in the Eastern Division finals this year during the playoffs? Also, I really enjoyed the Remembrance Day blog that you posted this year. Keep up the good work.
Answer:
Hi Corey, thanks for the kind words. First off, don't be confused, there's a simple explanation to your question. In the CFL, they have something called the 'Crossover Rule'. If the fourth-place team in the West has a better record than the third-place team in the East, then they crossover into the Eastern side. Of course, it works both ways but since the CFL instituted the rule, it's always been a West team that has crossed over into the East.
Name: somebody
Comment:
Replying to allard29 in Ottawa; no one cares about the Maple Leafs. They suck, will suck and will continue to do so. Maple Laughs should be relocated to get them out of that hellhole we call Toronto. But then again, you guys can keep the title of hockey town Canada because it gives us a reason to flame the snobs in TO....So to sum it up....LEAFS SUCK!!!
Answer:
So let me get this straight, you are NOT a Leafs fan. Is that what you're saying "somebody"? While I respect your opinion, I am pretty sure there are one or two people in Canada who still care about the Leafs. Before I forget, Merry Christmas to you and your family, good sir.
Name: Hooch86
Comment:
Hey Jim, quick question for you. How many Big Macs do you think Tenderness eats now that he has been dealt to Minni?! He was already on a solid pace of at least 5 a week in his hometown. Over/under 10 per week in Minni? I'll take the over...
Answer:
Hey Hooch, what up? Actually, Latendresse doesn't eat Big Macs; they're not filling enough for him. The former Habs forward likes to chow down on a couple Double-Double cheeseburgers from In-N-Out Burger in St. Paul, MN. Do the math: Two Double Double's from In-N-Out Burger a day over the course of a week and he's well into double digits. But he always washes it down with a Diet Coke.
Name: John
Comment:
Hey Jim. Any possibility you know where the real birthplace of hockey is? Here in the big NS, the sign to Windsor says that they are, but I've heard of other places being the true origin of hockey. Help me out here?
Answer:
Hi John, thanks for the question. Of course, Donald S. Cherry will scream until he's blue in the face that Kingston, ON is the birthplace of hockey in Canada. Yes, there are those hockey historians who believe that Windsor, Nova Scotia is the birthplace of hockey. The latest theory put forth claims that the birthplace of hockey in Canada is Montreal. Apparently on March the 3rd, in 1875, James Creighton organized the first indoor match at the Victoria Skating Rink in Montreal. Legend has it that the Montreal Gazette wrote a re-cap on the game the next day.
I believe that Montreal is the site of the first organized "indoor" game held in Canada. As far as when the first outdoor games were held; that's up for debate. Since I used to live in the Annapolis Valley in Greenwood, I am kind of biased. But having said that, I don't think it matters where the first game was played. Hockey is Canada and Canada is hockey, no matter what province or territory you live in.
Name: Eli
Comment:
G'day from The Valley Jim. Glad to see you know of our Lumber Kings!!
I love watching old-time hockey, but it's hard to find vintage footage of games. I can find a few online and there is nothing like watching the legends we so often hear about play. With the field you are in I figured you may know where to find old game footage.
Answer:
Hey Eli, how is it going? There are two really good websites to find vintage hockey dvd's and videos.
I did a story on John Tonelli's career with the Houston Aeros during the lockout and I was able to find some amazing 1970"s WHA footage on www.vintagehockeyvideos.com. I even found viz of Sportsnet's own John Garrett going after someone with his blocker when he played for the Birmingham Bulls. There was even an old video of John Wells, then of CBC Edmonton, interviewing Wayne Gretzky when he skated with the WHA's Oilers.
Name: Dale B.
Comment:
Hi Jim, Is it true that former Canuck Bobby Lalonde and Herve' Villechaize of Fantasy Island fame were the same height?
Answer:
Hi Dale, it's a little known fact that good, old Tattoo from Fantasy Island was at least an inch taller than former Canucks and Atlanta Flames forward Bobby Lalonde. Lalonde had better career numbers though.
Name: Griz
Comment:
Almost everyone in Canada has at some time collected hockey cards and the market has continually grown and evolved. For me it started in the 70's. Back then it was O-Pee-Chee with players in front of a tarp like Wayne Thomas with his glove extended (76-77). Then it progressed to shots of players on the ice and if they had been traded in the off season, they were air brushed which made them look like cartoons with a players head on top, also the companies tried new things like the series where you scratched the puck like a lotto ticket to reveal the players name. Soon the sets would be all action shots and they would be huge sets and more complicated to collect (Hi Series/Low Series) and finally into special inserts series which have included shirts, sticks and pads being added into the cards. What was the best hockey cards (series/year) in your opinion?
Answer:
Hi Griz, what a unique question. When I was little kid living in CFB Trenton, Ontario I collected a bunch of the 1973.1974 O-Pee-Chee series of cards. Bobby Orr, Guy Lafleur, Bobby Clarke, Darryl Sittler, etc. It may not be the best, but it certainly is my personal favourite. Like the bonehead that I am, I kept the cards in a shoebox in a closet and eventually my Mom got tired of them collecting dust and tossed them out. Not that I have anything against the new, cutting-edge cards but I still love the old-school cards.
That's it for this week; we will have one more mailbag blog for 2009. It's hard to believe another year is almost over.
