UFC Mania!

On My Mind

All in all I was happy with the performances at UFC 111. With too many hyped cards that don't live up to expectations this was not one of them in terms of entertainment value.

Bocek vs Miller

Great way to start off the main card with the fight going the distance. Alot of controversy surrounding the decision at the end of the fight with Miller getting the victory. The way I saw it was Miller and Bocek splitting the 2nd and 3rd rounds, thus leaving the 1st round as the deciding factor as I saw that round as the closest of the three. Did the cut leave an impression with the judges that Bocek suffered more damage? Did home field advantage sway the judges opinion? If you ask me it may have been all of the above. It wouldn't be the first time where the UFC has had a deicision swayed by a fighters home crowd or by a cut making it appear as though the person took more damage then reality.

Fitch vs Saunders

First thing I thought after Alves was deemed unable to compete Saturday was that I was really looking forward to his match against Fitch. Both fighters appear unstoppable in the Welterweight division (leaving out their losses against GSP) and it would have been interesting to see if Fitch would finally be knocked out by the heavy hands of Alves or if he would continue his dominance of taking his opponents down to the canvas and smothering them on way to another judges decision. Quite quickly after the Alves announcement Saunders and Fitch agreed to fight on Satuday (short notice? In terms of opponents I guess but both were already competing on the card). I didn't doubt that Fitch would win the fight, and felt bad for Saunders to an extent. Saunders, still a young fighter, was making quite his mark in the Welterweight division, however, had yet to fight any “big” name fighters. It was evident that Saunders was out of his league, with no solution to Fitch's usual strategy of taking his opponents to the mat at will as it was a re-occurring theme for the entire fight.

Pellegrino vs Camoes

Great fight in terms or excitement. The fight went back and forth until Pellegrino was able to sink in a rear naked choke causing Camoes to tap. Both fighters should be commended on a great battle, which is what Dana White loves to see from his fighters, win, lose, or draw. I look forward to seeing both men fight at future events.

Mir vs Carwin

It appeared to be a replay of the last Mir vs Lesnar fight. Carwin easily handled Mir by first pushing him up against the cage then delivering numerous uppercuts until Mir collapsed onto the mat where he continued the assault until the Ref called a stoppage to the fight. Carwin's streak of 1st round victories continues as Mir simply did not look good, and leaves me to wonder what Mir will do. A match vs Junior Dos Santos or Velasquez is not out of the question, however, it is apparent that Mir can not compete against either Lesnar or Carwin, with both defeating Mir in dominating fashions. The Carwin victory sets up a match that was supposed to happen back in November, in a unification bout. I think Showdown Joe described it best stating that if the fight stays standing then Carwin has the advantage, however, if Lesnar is able to take it to the ground he has the advantage. It just seems like great matches are falling into place for the UFC and I am one of the many who are excited for the Heavyweight Championship title fight, which appears to be slated for July 3rd.

GSP vs Hardy

Not surprising to many, GSP did what he does best, which is to take his opponent to the mat at will and dominate them for 5 rounds. Unfortunately for GSP, many fans are growing tired of seeing him dominate his opponents yet not being able to finish them, whether that be by submission or ground and pound. I don't know what it is. Does GSP just not have the killer instinct, as it seemed as though he almost stopped twisting Hardy's arm during one of the armbars, just as it appeared that Hardy had almost had enough. Maybe GSP just doesn't have the finishing part mastered, which would allow him to submit his opponents. He is obviously strong as he takes opponents down easily in many different forms and by many different methods and lifts his opponents up for slams easy enough. Obviously GSP, by his post match comments, would love to defeat his opponents by tap out or TKO instead of going to decision everytime, however, at the end of the day he is still dominating in a major aspect of the sport. In addition, its like White said after the match as well, maybe his opponents should learn some takedown defence.

Definitely looking forward to the next few months, which is full of UFC events. Key matches I'm looking forward to watching are Rashad vs Rampage (UFC 114), its always exciting to watch matches between guys who actually have a dislike for each other, Machida vs Rua and Cote vs Belcher (UFC 113). Machida has to make up for a lacklustre effort in their last contest, while Rua wants a chance to win the title after not getting the controversial judges decision in their last bout. Interested in seeing how Cote fairs after the knee injury he suffered during his title fight vs Silva. Here's hoping he can regain his form from before the injury and climb his way back up the Middleweight ladder.

Making Good on Second Chances

On My Mind

I wrote an article a few months ago hoping that Mike Danton would turn his life around and that someone would provide him with an opportunity to do so. I was very excited when I heard that St.Mary's was giving him that second chance and I was even more excited when I heard (I don't follow the CIS very closely) that St.Mary's had a shot a making to the National Championship, which just to add icing to the cake, they ended up winning yesterday. So here is my follow up congratulations to Mike and hoping he continues his journey to playing pro hockey again, whether that be in the NHL, AHL or over in Europe. It's great to see someone doing something with their second chance.

On to NHL talk...The playoffs are so close I can taste it and I am really excited. What is happening with all the top teams in the West though? The only top team playing great right now are the Vancouver Canucks. Chicago and San Jose better get their acts together if they want any chance to compete in the playoffs because as of right now they just are not playing like cup contenders. Like most people, I like to be praised for my good predictions. Here it is: New Jersey wouldn't miss a beat this year unlike how so many critics suggested they would (some even suggesting that they would miss the playoffs). Similarly, I can admit when a prediction goes wrong: Calgary making the playoffs. Maybe it's because I am a huge fan of Iginla but I really expected them to be better than they currently are, which is simply put...AWFUL!

How about the Red Wings being one of, if not, the hottest team in the league right now. Great timing to put a streak together...At the start of the season I didn't have Howard in my top 3 predicted Calder finalists. At the half way mark of the season when I made my predictions I had Howard as my third choice in Calder voting with Duchene and Myers coming in ahead of him. Since, I think Duchene is my third choice with the winner coming down to Myers and Howard. Sure Myers has been crucial to Buffalo's defense, but how crucial has Howard been with the survival of the injury ravaged Red Wings. With the injuries they had, nobody would have been surprised to see them out of the playoffs, maybe even getting a top 10 draft pick. This may be the closest Calder race we've had in years.

Not that I had Mike Green winning the Norris, nor do I think he deserves it but give the guy some slack. He is +33 (+11 better than he was all of last season) on a team where goaltending is the major concern. I know offense isn't everything and I watched him in last years playoffs where I saw awful defensive coverage on his part, however, I haven't watched enough Capitals contests this season to make a comment. For all I know his defensive game may have improved. Speaking of the Capitals, I read that Ovechkin only has 11 power play goals this season (as of Saturday). How good is that!! For a guy who must strike fear into the other team's penalty killing unit, he does most of his damage 5 on 5.

Can't say that I feel bad for the Rangers missing the playoffs this year. Don't get me wrong, I have all the respect in the world for Glen Sather for his Stanley Cup rings, however, the game has obviously passed him by. He has made some very poor decisions when it has come to the players he has both traded and signed. Similar to the leafs he was saved for many years before the lockout at covering his mistakes by having a near unlimited payroll, however, signings such as Drury and Redden have simply made him look foolish and amateur. You could even argue that offering Gaborik a 5 year 37.5 million contract was a little on the risky side. No doubt Gaborik is one of the top pure goal scorers in the NHL, however, with a injury plagued career thus far it was definitely a gamble with the amount of money they signed him to.

Thanks for reading....And hey, whatever became of Dimitri Yushkevich?

To Suspend Or Not To Suspend That Is The Question....

On My Mind

Suspensions are the hot button debate on radio programs, television shows and message boards everywhere. I find it terribly unfortunate that there is so much discussion regarding penalties and suspensions. Hockey is a fantastic game that no other sport can match. It combines skill, stamina, strength, toughness and teamwork in order to accomplish your objective of scoring more goals than your opposition. I would rather talk about trades, awards, playoffs, and which team is the best but since we're on the topic, I'm going to chime in with what I think.

Should Cooke have been suspended? Yes and no. I think there should have already been a rule in place so that Richards and Cooke both would have been suspended, however, according to the rule book, because both players kept their elbows tucked and led with their shoulders, technically they didn't throw an illegal hit. Similar to the unsportsmanlike conduct rule, which was implemented right after Avery waved his stick in front of Brodeurs face during the playoffs, the NHL and NHLPA need to act immediately to implement a rule so that these hits are no longer legal. I'll be the first guy to encourage playing hard and I love a big hit, however, I'm not going to cheer or encourage hits that leave players unconscious or convulsing on the ice.

Ovechkin suspension fair? I would say yes. I already stated that I predicted that he would get between 2-4 games (I was leaning closer to 2 games) as the hit wasn't quite as bad as the Lapierre one, however, still no matter how great a player is for the league (and I am a huge fan of Ovechkin) you can't let these hits go unpunished. I was relieved to see Ovechkin get a suspension though. I think people were starting to get restless after there was no suspension handed to Cooke.

On to better things

It looks like Stamkos will finish with around 90 points this year. I thought he would have a good year this year but I predicted that he would be a point per game guy. Breaking the 90 point barrier in only his second year is incredible and no easy task. If Tampa Bay were to make the playoffs he should definitely garner some Hart votes, however, if they don't leave him off the ballot. I'm a firm believer that MVP candidates should be required to be on a playoff team. How valuable is a player if their team doesn't make the playoffs? If your team doesn't make it then it really doesn't matter how close you were. Speaking of the Lightning, I had them making the playoffs last year as I thought last year was the team working on chemistry issues and battling through poor goaltending. I guess Mike Smith just isn't as good as I thought he was.

How good are the Detroit Red Wings playing recently? Since their injured players have come back they have looked awesome. Plus, Howard has also looked awesome for the majority of the season. I will admit that I was one of the skeptics who thought Howard would never materialize into that number one keeper after looking average for the majority of his AHL career. So far this year he has made me eat my words. There will definitely be some teams who wish they took advantage of Detroit's injury woes while they had the chance. Saying all this, do you think they'll make the playoffs? It's going to come down to Calgary and Detroit and while I have made it clear I like the make up of Calgary's team, I don't know if they'll be able to keep Detroit out. If Detroit does make it, I feel sorry for the number one seed in the West.

For years, people have stated that the Western Conference has been stronger than the East. This year is no different and if you're looking for proof just look at the true contenders from each conference. In the East you have the Penguins, Capitals and Devils, while in the West you have the Sharks, Blackhawks, Canucks, Coyotes (with their recent play) and Kings. On top of that, who knows what could happen if Detroit makes the playoffs. And if they do and beat anyone, would it really be considered an upset?

Thanks for reading....And whatever became of Steve Kelly.

Trade Deadline Duh...

On My Mind

The Trade Dealine

Like many people I spent las Wednesday sitting in front of the television and surfing the internet looking for the latest rumours and trades, only to be left with a feeling of disappointment. Not only because of the lack of big names involved in trades (aware that names such as Phaneuf and Kovalchuk were dealt prior to the olympic break), but also because I am surprised at how some teams stood pat with what they have.

I'm sure it's been overdone but here are some of my thoughts...

Washington did great!! Walker and Belanger are amazing additions. I've said it before and I'll say it again, it is players like Walker who are major pieces in winning championships. Sure Malkin did have a great playoff last year but Talbot was incredible. Not only did he score the two goals in the final game but the Carcillo fight was a huge turning point in the Flyers-Penguins series. Unlike some people I am not as worried about goaltending, although I am surprised that they didn't try and get a top tier defensive defenseman, which I have mentioned I thought they needed. Corvo was a great pickup but I thought they could really use that 'shutdown defenseman'. I see this team definitely making some noise in the playoffs.

Penguins made some solid moves. Again, like Washington, I thought they could have used a defensive defenseman, as Rob Scuderi, was a key component in their defense last year, but Leopold is a solid depth defenseman and I think Ponikarovsky will fit in nicely on the second line.

The Devils obviously made their big splash before the deadline with Kovachuk, however, as I mentioned in a previous column, I really thought they needed another solid defenseman. Hamhuis would have been perfect, but I suppose after dealing for Kovalchuk they just weren't willing to deal anymore prospects or draft picks. I am a big Brodeur fan, and have gone on record saying that their great goaltending and defensive system will ease the pain of their lack of defensive depth, however, I think one more good defenseman would have put them over the top.

The Flyers did nothing. No clue what they are thinking. There are a select few teams, such as the Sharks, who were quite capable of doing nothing and look great going into the playoffs, however, the Flyers are not one of those teams. I read analysts suggesting that they needed another solid defensman...Come on! Sure everyone wants some depth but the second they knew Emery (who I thought might be barely good enough to get them to the finals) is gone for the season you have to make a deal for a goaltender! Leighton? Sure, he has played great since being acquired on re-entry waivers, but are you seriously going to bank on a goalie, who you claimed off waivers, to carry you through the playoffs? It's unfortunate because I really thought this team had a chance to compete with the big boys in the Eastern Conference. Now? Not a chance.

Boston. Obviously, hey didn't do much, but I don't see it as a bad thing. I definitely thought they didn't get enough for Morris. Not that he is an all-star, but if guys like Moore and Sutton are getting 2nd rounders, then you would think Morris would be worth more than only a 4th. Here's my thinking. Sure, they need scoring help, but I didn't see any moves out there that would put this team back into contention this year. I really thought Boston should have sold off a few more assets like Recchi and Thornton (not that you would get too much for either) and prepare for next year. This team still has a solid YOUNG nucleus. I don't see the point of trying for it this year as there are too many concerns in the lineup. I heard people saying they should package a first rounder and Ryder to get his contract off the books. Why? He has one year left. If anything, with the emergence of Rask, they should be trying to get rid of Thomas. In any case, deal with it, and hopefully this year you get two top 10 picks in the draft, both of which could equate to really good players. Right now it appears that Boston management is content with being a fringe playoff team. Not sure why, as it will be a short lived playoff run for the Bruins this year. The injury to Savard (and I say this in nicest way possible, as I love Savard dating back to when he played for the Generals) might be a blessing in disguise. This team may as well pack in this year and Savard's injury (hopefully it isn't too bad though) might do the trick to have this team fall further down the standings.

In my opinion, the Canucks did not do enough. Alberts wasn't the answer on defense. Although there was talk that Vancouver needed more depth on forward (I was one of the critics), I am not as worried about it anymore and think the defense is the real question mark. If Mitchell is unavailable for the playoffs, I really don't think this team has the depth to make a real run. One thing they do have going for them is that they are still young and should be in the mix for atleast the next 5 years.

I don't think there is much doubt that Phoenix made the biggest splash at the deadline. Wolski and Morris are great additions for this team. Sure Morris is more offensively gifted than defensively, but I have always been a fan and think that his addition can only help. As of right now, Phoenix would be playing LA, although Colorado is right near them, which is unfortunate because all three teams are great stories this year.

Lastly, I would like to talk about Carolina. Obviously they made some moves, but why do they still have Ray Whitney? I'm not sure whether it was him not getting his extension or if Rutherford did not like the offers coming in but I hope for his sake that it was the extension holding up a deal. I know some are suggesting that it's fine because Whitney could re-sign with them but I have no idea where the logic is there. Carolina has some great pieces in Sutter, Ward and Staal but realistically, they won't be able to really compete for another couple of years. Thus, there is no need for Whitney, for the rest of this year or for the next couple of years, as he is 37 right now and won't be of any benefit in 2 years. Who cares if the deal being offered isn't the greatest, although I'm positive they were offered atleast a 1st round pick. I would have had no problem with Rutherford even not trading him until 2:55 pm trying to put the pressure on other teams, however, I see no reason in not trading him. Something is always better than nothing.

One last thing. I am aware of I have mentioned previously in this column that teams are young and will still being able to compete for years to come, but I think that the slogan “win now, while you have the opportunity” applies presently more than ever before. The league is so good and parity is so widespread that hoping for next year might equal to not being in the playoffs. Hopefully, there are teams who stood by and watched the deadline pass by, while doing no trading, who won't be regretting it this time next year.

Thanks for reading....And hey, whatever became of Rico Fata?

Olympic Gold!!!

On My Mind

What else would be on my mind? Maybe Canada winning Gold? Obvious. Before I get back to writing my weekly NHL columns I have to get one last post in regarding the Olympics. Sure Canada didn't get the most medals but considering after about a week we were sitting in 5th or 6th in the medal count and most analysts were suggesting that we wouldn't come anywhere near our medal goal they sure are singing a different tune now. I didn't hear too many people suggesting that we still had a chance to be top 3 in the medal count let alone breaking the winter Olympic record for Gold medals. Another thing, is it just me, but when the Olympics started I couldn't stand that 'Believe' theme song, but now I love it and loved watching when a Canadian athlete won a medal and they would play it to a montage of the athlete(s) competing.

On to the main event. GO CANADA GO!! Sorry, I couldn't help myself. Congrats to the Olympic men's hockey team for their win last night. Sure, I don't think this is the biggest win in Canadian hockey, nor would I argue that Canada wasn't the favourite coming in, however, there is no debating (in my mind) that this wasn't the most competitive international tournament ever played. You had the obvious favourites in Canada, Russia and the defending Gold medalists Sweden, however, you could never count out Finland or the United States with Miller in goal. In addition, with the play of Slovakia and the Czech Republic they showed they aren't slowing down and are in fact only getting better in developing their players. Plus, one had to be impressed with the heart Switzerland showed. I have to say, although just about everyone (including myself) suggested the U.S. would go as far as Ryan Miller could take them (and he did play amazing), but the rest of their team played really well and probably better than most analysts thought they would. In fact, my prediction for the next olympics (as long as NHLers participate) is another Canada vs U.S. showdown. I think Russia will definitely be a force to be reckoned with, but with Sweden and Finland getting older the top teams will definitely be shifting, with possibly Slovakia and the Czech Republic replacing them in the 'Favourites' category.

Back to reality...Can't say I'm that disappointed though, cause one of my favourite times of the year is nearly upon us...Trade deadline day!!! Super exciting, and I am very interested in seeing what moves are made. Especially this year as there seem to be alot more teams than usual in the hunt for playoff spots. I want to see who will be sellers and who feel like they can make one last push to the playoffs.

Hope everyone enjoyed the Olympics and we're not done yet. If last years playoffs were any indication, the best hockey of the year may yet to have come.

Thanks for reading...And hey, whatever became of Valeri Bure?