Lots to talk about today!
First up, the Moose Jaw Warriors made off very well in a player swap with Everett today. Warriors G.M. Chad Lang must be owed some favors from Silvertips G.M. Doug Soetart. The Warriors get former “AAA” Legionnaire Cody Thoring plus forward Brady Calla who was 3rd round NHL pick this past summer and a 6th round bantam pick. In return, the ‘Tips get defenseman Jesse Zetariuk and forward Carter Smith. That’s it, that’s all. The Warriors get a steady d-man in Thoring who was the Silvertips’ captain. Calla was projected to have put up more offensive numbers this season but it hasn’t happened for him. The ‘Tips get Carter Smith - a 3rd or 4th line forward at best and Zetariuk who is actually turning into a pretty good PP quarterback. Decision: Moose Jaw.
The Broncos host Lethbridge (16-15-2-1) Wednesday night. It is the third meeting of the season between the teams with the Broncos taking both previous games. The first meeting saw Kyle Moir make 48 saves for a 2-1 win at the Civic Center. The ‘Canes have loads of offensive talent with the WHL’s leading goal scorer in Kris Hogg (24), plus Zach Boychuk who is having a solid 17 year-old season. They have won five straight games but continue to be the cellar dweller in the tough Central division.
The Broncos (17-16-1) are playing better hockey and have a chance to pick-up 20 wins in the first half of the season if they can win their last three games (Leth, Saskatoon, Saskatoon). They have won four of their last five but will be without import Daniel Rakos who is back home competing for a spot on the Czech national junior team. Should be a great match-up.
It was a scrappy practice Tuesday in Broncoland. The boys were competing hard and actually a pair of forwards dropped the gloves with each other. Some might cringe at the fact of teammates fighting teammates but I think it’s good once in awhile. It shows it was an intense practice and the old adage “practice like you play” was in full effect. It happens at every level. Even in the NHL. As long as no one gets hurt I don’t see a major problem with it. Just think how many times in the workplace you get in a disagreement with somebody. In the office you might avoid that person for a month but on the ice, it’s settled in seconds and you move on. Done deal.
Bad news for Vancouver Canucks defenseman Rory Fitzpatrick. It seems the “Vote for Rory” campaign is losing momentum. The NHL released the latest numbers and Fitzpatrick actually dropped from 5th to 6th among Western Conference defenseman. Here’s the latest numbers:
Defensemen
Scott Niedermayer Anaheim 390,028
Nicklas Lidstrom Detroit 371,037
Chris Pronger Anaheim 282,528
Scott Hannan San Jose 276,862
Dion Phaneuf Calgary 274,682
*Rory Fitzpatrick Vancouver 269,048
Mattias Ohlund Vancouver 188,511
Robyn Regehr Calgary 153,230
John-Michael Liles Colorado 151,985
Sergei Zubov Dallas 143,302
Mathieu Schneider Detroit 117,518
Rob Blake Los Angeles 107,369
Lubomir Visnovsky Los Angeles 95,658
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From my perspective it looks like “Vote for Rory” is dying fast.
Broncos and Hurricanes on the Eagle 94.1 FM. Pre-game show at 7pm, play-by-play with Switzer and myself at 7:30pm.
See you at the rink,
Jon
3 comments:
Jon, you mentioned you were at practice today; it just so happens you're NEVER there when I'm watching practice. LOL If you were, I'd sure like your perspective of some things I see happening when the team is practicing. Sometimes practice to me is almost as entertaining as the game. The guys get the heck worked out of them, and at practice, nothing is held back. Every guy comes out and shows
who he really is, because the fans aren't there to watch...know what I mean?
SH*T!! The Dallas Stars just got upset by COLUMBUS!!...are you kidding me??!! The final from Dallas is 3-1 Blue Jackets. I don't like Ken Hitchcock going into Dallas and winning games. He's doing a good job with Columbus though. However, he's not one of my favourite coaches....he yells like a madman behind that bench at the guys all the time.
ernie why don't you like a normal team like the 2007 stanley cup champs the toronto maple leafs not the dallas or should i mean mexico stars.you and jon keen are both out to lunch
ernie said...
This post is mostly for "MOLER" (Jon's friend Chris), but I'll answer Mats' question first. Ever since the Stars won the cup in '99, I've liked them for some reason. But right now, the main reason is, their head coach, Dave Tippett, is at least the second best...if not THE best coach in the NHL currently active. He's from Moosomin, Sask....good ole' Saskatchewanite, coaching an awesome NHL team in Dallas...gotta love that! Their assistant coach, Mark Lamb, is from Cadillac Sask. And, the Stars are always an awesome team. There's just something I ADORE about that team. They are a GOLIATH.
Here's for Moler (Chris) now. Sorry man, I did not mean the part about you "not clicking" on the Broncos' broadcast. Hope it didn't hurt. LOL LOL
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