Jim Lang

Jim Lang is a Connected anchor and NFL reporter for Sportsnet. Also check out Jim's website, www.jimlang.ca

Steve Yzerman shakes hands with Bates Battaglia after defeating the Hurricanes in the 2002 Stanley Cup final. Always sportsmanlike, but Stevie Y was probably just itching to hold the Cup.

After last week's blog Pete in Cowtown wanted to point out the toughness of former L.A. Rams defensive end Jack Youngblood. Like former Leafs defenceman Bobby (Boomer) Baun, Youngblood played a game with a broken leg. Playing with that broken leg, Youngblood led the Rams defence as they battled the Steelers in Super Bowl XIV.

And now on to this week's questions.

Name: Geoff

Comment:

Really enjoy reading your blog and liked your answer for toughest athlete of all time. However, I think that Wayne "Buck" Shelford deserves a mention. He played rugby for New Zealand and, in a 1986 match against France, suffered about the worst injury any guy could imagine and then kept playing.

Answer:

Geoff, after researching the career of Buck Shelford, I am in total agreement of the immense toughness of this New Zealand native. Any guy who can have the most sensitive area of his male anatomy ripped apart in a sporting event, get it stitched up, and then go back out there and play is not only tough; he's "Chuck Norris" tough.

Name: Joe from God's Country

Comment:

Hey Clubber, Loving the blog each week. Now that the NHL playoffs have started I am in front of the TV every night. Personally my favourite part of playoff hockey is the handshakes at the end of each round. I am just curious as to what the players say to each other going through the line. Most of it is probably 'hey great series', 'good luck the rest of the way'.

Answer:

Hi Joe. By "God's Country" you must mean Nova Scotia, correct? Joe, you are bang on in your assessment. I texted three-time Stanley Cup champion Steve Yzerman and 1989 Stanley Cup champion Gary Roberts and relayed your question. Between the two of them, Yzerman and Roberts were in the post-season a combined 34 times. About all either one of them has ever heard during all of those handshakes was "good luck" or "good series." Nothing that earth-shattering.

Name: Dr. Nuf

Comment:

Hey Jim, I'm a big fan; you do a great job with this blog and all of your Sportsnet adventures. My question to you is: What is the deal in boxing with the weird stainless steel looking thing that one of the corner guys is always rubbing on his fighters face?

Answer:

Hi Doc, thanks for the kind words. That weird steel thing you are talking about is a staple of cutmen in boxing and in MMA all around the world. A lot of guys call it an "Enswell." The piece of metal is kept in a bucket of ice so that when the fighter sits down on the stool the cutmen can go right to work. The theory is that the ice cold metal pressed hard against the fighters face is supposed to help stop blood flow in the damaged area.

Name: Keith

Comment:

Hey Jim. I've been wondering for a long time now if it's really a good idea for a goalie to be an NHL captain. I've always thought that the captain is the one that the team looks upon to lead them through the tough times. Take Roberto Luongo, how does one lead a team when if he gets pulled? Do you think that a goalie can make a good captain, or are they just too important to carry that weight, best left alone to meditate and make big stops?

Answer:

Hi Keith. Like you, I am not a big fan of a goalie being a captain. First of all, a goalie is not allowed to skate out from his crease to argue a call with the ref by the penalty bench. When the Canucks have a ceremonial face off, they end up using Henrik Sedin to take it. A goalie can be a leader inside the dressing room, but they shouldn't be a captain. There has to be a little concern about what it would do to Luongo's psyche if they ever took the "C" away from him. But moving forward, Mike Gillis and Alain Vigneault have to seriously look at giving the "C" to someone else. Goodness knows the Canucks have a lot of worthy candidates.

Name: Luhog

Comment:

Hey Jim, I just wanted say your blog ROCKSS!! I was just checking out the standings from last year and after watching the Rangers - Flyers at the end of the season and I was wondering what the long break down version of a tie breaker is. I know that first it goes by number of wins, then number of points garnered amongst those two teams in the games they have played each other and then it is by goal differential.

Let's say that Florida and Montreal won 2 games each last year. But if we assume they tied each other and Florida lost a game against another team and managed to still have the same record as Montreal, what would happen? I am also assuming the goal differential is the same since only one goal differentiate them last year. In this really fluke scenario what other means will the NHL use to break the tie, and ultimately will it result in a coin flip or a one game playoff? My friends and I have a bet riding on this so hopefully at least you will be able to answer it.

Answer:

Hi Luhog, after taking a couple of Advil I think I figured out what you were asking. Here is the official NHL tiebreaking procedure.

* - Division leaders are seeded 1, 2, and 3 in Conference standings. If two or more clubs are tied in points during the regular season, the standing of the clubs is determined in the following order:

1. The fewer number of games played (i.e., superior points percentage).

2. The greater number of games won.

3. The greater number of points earned in games between the tied clubs. If two clubs are tied, and have not played an equal number of home games against each other, points earned in the first game played in the city that had the extra game shall not be included. If more than two clubs are tied, the higher percentage of available points earned in games among those clubs, and not including any "odd" games, shall be used to determine the standing.

4. The greater differential between goals for and against for the entire regular season.

After speaking with the league head office I was able to come up with an answer. If your scenario came true and both the Canadiens and the Panthers were still tied after all of the possible scenarios, then the NHL would resort to a one-game playoff to determine the final playoff spot. Now, I hope you understand that the odds of it ever getting to that point are astronomical.

I hope you won the bet.

Name: Mark

Comment:

Hey Jim, with the NHL playoffs in full swing I was wondering, when a club recalls players from their AHL club to be the "Black Aces" what are they paid? Their AHL salary or NHL?

Answer:

Hi Mark, thanks for a very interesting question. The whole concept of the "black aces" is a way to provide teams insurance against possible injuries during the post-season. First off, players don't get paid in the playoffs. The money they make in the post-season comes from a share of the playoff money for each round the team wins. The deeper into the post-season you go, the more playoff money a player has a chance to earn. Now other than a living allowance, the AHL "black ace" would only receive a portion of any playoff money if they are voted a share by the rest of the team.

Name: Dale B.

Comment:

Jim, With Mother's Day coming up, I was wondering if I should get my Mom a Bernie Parent Rookie Card or some bon bons?

Answer:

Dale. Do I even have to answer this question? What mother wouldn't break down in tears at the sight of a Bernie Parent rookie card lovingly placed in her Mother's Day card. You get that and a couple of scratch and win lottery tickets and you're good to go Dale.

That's it for this week. Just a reminder that Wednesday is not only Cinco de Mayo, it's McHappy Day in Canada. One dollar from every Big Mac or Happy Meal sold at lunchtime on Wednesday is going to McDonald's children's charities across Canada. Count me in for any charity where I get to eat hamburgers and help the kids at the same time.