For those of you not lucky enough to know me, I'm a half glass half-full kind of guy. I try and take a thoughtful look at things and situations before I make up my mind. I try to think with my head first, and with my heart second. Now, having said all that, goddamn it we got fucking smoked at home 7-2 by Buffalo!
Our average team height is good enough to start for Serbia at the Olympics, and all 5' nothing Derek Roy did was score 6 points on the night. Now, of course it's only pre-season, and a lot of guys need something real to play for in order to get it up. Not to mention guys are sore and still getting into game shape, or the kids in the game and may be squeezing the stick too tight, trying to impress. Ultimately none of Roy's six points really matter at all. It just bugs me because now the choked screams of the negativo's who scavenge the enormous Leaf Nation tableau will needlessly be all the louder.
I listen to it and read it every day. The people who write nothing but the bad because when you're lazy, and you have to write something, going negative is always the easy decision.
For example, (and I see this one A LOT) columnists who portray how dire the Leafs non post-season-making woes by yelping, "The Leafs haven't made the playoffs in THREE seasons!!" Uh, hey fuckmouth, there was no season, three seasons ago. NO ONE made the playoffs three seasons ago. It's only been two since the Leafs last made it in...by 2, and 1 point(s) respectively. Oh, is that the sky falling? No, it's just your credibility. And by the way, you're sitting on your balls.
In other news, I'm proud of how the Leafs have responded to the POS Steve Downie hit on Dean McAmmond. There seems to be some real indignation about this one. Jason Blake went so far as to say that Downie should be kicked out of the league. Downie said the usual about he's got to do what he's got to do to get himself noticed and play a role on the team. If that's the case, then what kind of fucking organization do they have down there? There's no one else who can take a fourth line spot for the Flyers? No one else who can get noticed by, oh I don't know, playing hockey with any appreciable level of skill? See Moose's post a few doors down. He nailed it. The bizarre blame the victim thinking behind the whole "he didn't have his head up" shit. Or the, "he was admiring his pass" thing. Well how about the little ditty that says you can admire the pass because after you've made it, you're not supposed to be hit in the first place. See Kaberle vs. that creep Cam Janssen.
There are a lot of people yelling about this one. Maybe this is the final straw...or part of the final straw...or some kind of straw that will finally get Gary Bettman to stop jerking off to pictures of larger nets or franchises in Oklahoma, and start taking a real and meaningful stand on these kinds of hits made by these kinds of players.
Wednesday, September 26
Leading With Your Head
Blueprints
Oil 2, Calgary 1
The Oilers improved to 5-1 on the pre-season, and tonights' win is sure to provide the blueprint for how the team will win games this year. A Sheldon Souray PP bomb, a goal from a rookie and great goaltending. Throw in a little Ales Hemsky and there you have it. It's only the pre-season so it's not worth getting excited about, but it's certainly better than going back to the room trying to figure out why you're getting beat every night. With the way things ended last year, any confidence this team can acquire going into the season is a plus.
Unless MacT is completely full of crap, there's just no way he can keep Cogliano off this team. He got the opening goal tonight (4th of the pre-season) and has more than earned his spot.
More tomorrow after the cuts. Should be a very interesting day.
Cuts / Cowtown Preview
Oil send out nine...
- Robbie Schremp was sent down today (among 8 others), and as mentioned in previous posts, it's probably the right move. He's played well in the last two pre-season games, but the off-season surgery has probably hampered him a bit. The best thing for him is to go down and see if he can tear up the AHL. Attitude is everything with this guy, and if he goes down and works hard, he'll play in the NHL (even if it's not in Edmonton). He'll most likely play on the top line in Springfield and get every opportunity to make it back.
- The other cuts were all the expected ones: Syvret, Young and Bisaillon on defence, and five other forwards including: Bodie, Johansson, O'Marra, Reddox and Trukhno.
- Fredrik Johansson was scheduled to play tonight but was a late scratch. Sam Gagner will take his spot.
- Some of the cuts coming tomorrow will be guys who are playing tonight (Simon, Almtorp, Sestito) and the two young goalies, Dubnyk and Deslauriers. I expect Spurgeon and Jacques to be among the next cuts as well. With back-to-back games, MacT wanted enough bodies around to keep the team fresh.
- It's looking like there is a real possibility that both Gagner and Cogliano will make the team, at least to start the year. Any decision on Carter hinges on signing Gagner. Barring a trade they only have room to sign one guy. The same might go for Pouliot; if Gagner sticks Pouliot could be moved. He's a natural center (where the Oilers are flush) and hasn't adjusted to the wing as well as some of the other young players.
- Calgary will be dressing close to a full lineup tonight.
- Oilers will be dressing what looks to be their top 6 defencemen and likely pairings to start the season: Pitkanen-Staios, Souray-Greene, Grebeshkov-Tarnstrom.
Douche Du Jour
Gutless...
It's a bird, it's a plane...no wait it's another "tough" guy flying through the air because he never learned how to throw a check. I hate to pump anything to do with Eklund and his joke of a site, but Daniel Tolensky's column today has it exactly right. In order for the NHL to do something about head shots and cheap hits it's going to take Sydney Crosby getting it from some 4th liner hopped-up on Sudafed, trying to make a name for himself.
This BS "code" in the NHL about "keeping your head up" or "don't admire your pass". That's the kinda thing fans say to act like they know what the game is about. If you believe that shit, you've probably never played organized hockey. I didn't realize having your head down for a brief second was an invitation to a life of eating out of a tube. What about respecting your fellow players?
That being said, I'm sure Don Cherry will clear Steve Downie of any wrong doing in the all important court of public opinion, "He's a good, tough Canadian boy!" Right?
Raffi Torres now has a better acting resume than me...
It's official. Raffi Torres has surpassed my few credits as a famous actor and is now a much bigger deal thanks to his appearance on The Daily Show. I hear I'm up against him for the new Coen Brothers movie. Great.
on 
The Edmonton Journal reported that the Oilers-Coyotes game last night had almost a thousand people in it, and not just because MacT has refused to cut anyone from training camp. Wow. A thousand people in an arena that seats almost 18,000. Greener's gotta check my math here, but that's like only 50% capacity! If I'm not mistaken, and I don't mean this as a joke, The Joey Moss cup final was better attended than the entirety of the Coyotes preseason games. And likely their entire season. Admittedly, Jobing.com Arena doesn't exactly sound like an electrifying place to go, but its a hell of a lot better than Nashville's Gaylord Entertainment Center. How do you buy tickets to a sports event in Nashville? You are just admitting that you yourself are a Gaylord who needs entertainment! Oy!
One last quick timbit (yes!), people who are reading this, write a comment! If only to prove to Greener that my mom and me really are the only ones regularly looking at HSHS. Note to Greener, you clicking on our site fifty times a day does not count as "unique hits".
Raffi Torres on The Daily Show
Per my comments at the end of last nights' post, here's the segment with Raffi. I dare you, Viacom (thanks to 'sexy randal' for the link).
