Friday, December 27, 2013
Panthers on a Roll
Last Thursday, the Florida Panthers continued their road trip to Ottawa
They have a couple of
key players missing from the lineup at this time, and that is bound to make a
difference. Tim Thomas has played well in the net for the Panthers, but he was
on the shelf, as was Ed Jovanovski. They are both seasoned veterans who can
steady a young team through turbulent times.
Executive Vice
President and General Manager Dale Tallon was at the rink in Ottawa Quebec Fort
Lauderdale
Tallon was the second
overall draft pick by the Vancouver
He remained with the
Hawks until he retired in 1980, when he moved to the broadcast booth. He
entered the managerial world of hockey shortly thereafter, and directed the
Hawks to their first Stanley
A couple of years
ago, he joined the staff in Florida San Antonio
At the Canadian Tire
Centre in Ottawa , former Belleville Winnipeg
With less than five
minutes remaining in the third period, the Senators Jean-Gabriel Pageau clipped
rookie Dylan Olsen with a high stick. On the ensuing power play, Tomas
Fleischmann fed a perfect pass to defenceman Tom Gilbert. Gilbert buried the
puck past a well-screened Craig Anderson to put the Panthers ahead. Kopecky’s
short-handed marker sealed the deal for the Cats.
Despite their poor
start to the season, the Panthers have moved up to within one point of the
Senators. It has been a frustrating time lately for the crew from Ottawa
If you happen to find
Dale Tallon in the clubhouse looking for a game of golf, please be advised that
it would be unwise to play for money. He won the Canadian Junior Golf title in
1969, and he knows his way around the links. Considering that he lives far
south of the Mason-Dixon Line , he likely has
time for a round or two during the winter as well.
A very Merry
Christmas, Happy Chanukuh, and a Happy New Year. I will see you at the Dudley
Hewitt Cup. Get out your bills for the 50/50. Mr Baitley and I will look after
you.
James Hurst
Sportslices.blogspot.com
Black Hawks Get Caught Napping
I am quite certain
that teams do not lose NHL games intentionally. Just the opposite, in fact.
Every game is important, when it comes down to it. I get a little tired of
hearing people say that they are hockey fans, then add that they only watch the
playoffs because that’s when players really play with intensity. Hogwash.
Every player plays
every shift intensely; otherwise, he will soon find himself in the press box,
or in the American League. Players do not like to sit out games, either as a
punishment, or with an injury. They are paid to play, and they love the game.
Last Saturday night,
the Chicago Black Hawks went into Toronto Canada
There was plenty of
support in Toronto Belleville
There is a new part
of the equation that beckons understanding: a certain Andrew Shaw. He is also a
native Bellevillian, and he makes it known that he is from this area. The Shaw
contingent at the game on Saturday night was extensive. Several of his fans
made the trip: Chisholms, Haggartys, a couple of the Pope boys, Ryan Griffin,
several Tanners, Tim Clodmaker, the intrepid Corey Engelsdorfer, Mike Heuving,
Jacob Panetta, the Boyles, the Cooneys, Mike Sainsbury, a brother and a sister,
and, of course, Doug and Darlene.
Doug and Dar were
stationed at centre ice, between the benches. It sounds like a great place to watch the game; however, they had to
look over the shoulders of Glen Healey and his cameraman, and they watched most
of the game on the big screen at centre ice. The lads from Andrew’s home town
also managed to critique his attire after the game. They asked if his tie came
in men’s sizes as well. Tough crowd!
A note was made in
one of the Toronto Florida Toronto
A core of reporters
circled Hawks starter Antii Raanta after the game to get his comments. He had
allowed five pucks to get past him in the first two periods. He gave standard,
and very understandable answers to the relatively idiotic questions. “I’ve just
got to go out and work hard in the next practice, and find my focus”. Those
nights do occur, for everyone. His backup, Kent Simpson, saw the first Leaf
shot slip under his arm for their sixth marker. Not a happy time for Coach
Quenneville.
The Hawks rebounded
the next night for a victory against the Los
Angeles
We have not yet
reached the midway point in the season. There will be many great games to
watch, always best at the rink. Stay focussed, for goodness sake!
James Hurst
December 17, 2013.
Maurice "Moe" Benoit
Date of Birth: July 26, 1932
Died: December
10, 2013
Hockey fans in the
Quinte area, and in many parts of the United States
Moe’s hockey career
really began in Montreal, when he played one game for the Royals in the Quebec Trois
Rivieres
Prior to the 1956-57
season, Floyd Crawford was one of the first players selected by manager Drury
Denyes to come to Belleville North Bay Quebec
Along with some
guidance from Wren Blair, general manager of the Whitby
They say that great
teams are designed from the goaltender outward. Gordie Bell was responsible for
the net. Crawford, Jean Paul Lamirande, and Benoit formed an awesome defensive
corps. That was the nucleus of the Belleville
team which won the World Championship in 1959 in Prague , Czechoslovakia
Benoit endeared
himself to the Belleville Belleville
Floyd Crawford had a
monumental fight with Harry Sinden, with both men tumbling ten feet over the
side of the penalty box in the fray. They were both cautioned by one of Belleville Whitby
George Carver’s
description in The Ontario Intelligencer:
“Gagnon, it appears, also made the unfortunate mistake of selecting Moe Benoit
as target bait. Moe was in his element, and politely pulled the sweater over
Gagnon’s head, and proceeded to pummel what was underneath it. It took two
minutes for Gagnon to get his hair back in place.”
Former teammate David
Jones was amazed at Benoit’s game. “Moe was an exceptional hockey player, and
led the defense. He was very effective on the power play. But above all, he
mixed really well with people.”
Lionel Botly also
patrolled the blueline with the Macs. He described Moe as “The People’s
Choice”. But he also loved his unbelievable hip checks. Benoit cruised the ice,
looking for unsuspecting foes foolish enough to have their heads down. He would
send them flying, some times over the boards. (Note: There was no glass around
the boards at The Memorial Arena. Andre or Paul Mercier, or perhaps Harry
Rollins would shove the opponent back onto the ice.)
Lionel also recalled
Moe’s restaurant on Front Street, a place where people congregated to talk
hockey.
Moe played four games
for the Kingston Omaha Knights, the Toledo
Blades and the Dayton
In 1960, he joined
several Whitby Dunlops and Kitchener
Waterloo
Keith MacDonald also
played with Benoit for several years. Amongst other things, Keith was impressed
with Moe’s slap shot. “It was just coming into its own, from guys like Bobby
Hull and “Boom Boom” Geoffrion. Moe could really fire it, and sometimes it was
on the net”.
Russ Kowalchuck also
noted Moe’s fine people skills. “When I arrived in Belleville Wayne
Moe is survived by
his wife Sharon, two daughters and three sons, ten grandchildren and two great
grandchildren.
James Hurst
December 18,
2013
Monday, December 09, 2013
Doc is Hanging Up the Spikes
Some of us were
caught napping today when we read that “Doc” Halladay was retiring from
baseball. In a move with some precedent, he signed a contract with the Toronto Philadelphia
For many of us, the
trips to the ballpark in Toronto
At six feet, six
inches, he had an advantage from the mound. When he crossed the white line, and
headed to the rubber, it was all business. There was little hesitation between
pitches, and when he had his best stuff, you were almost guaranteed to be out
of the park in less than two hours. Nowadays, games will drag on for more than
three hours.
Harry Leroy Halladay
was a first round draft pick by the Jays in 1995. But it was not until
September 20, 1998, that he would begin his work with the Jays. Never
considered to be an overpowering pitcher, he worked hitters with nasty stuff.
He could hit the spots, and make the ball dance with his variety of pitches. He
drove batters to distraction.
Baseball is noted for
its myriad of statistics, and Doc’s name is near the top of the list in many
categories. He logged a lot of innings for the Jays, appearing in more than 400
games, with 2749 innings to his credit. He was a workhorse, and he is now
paying the price. He says that he is retiring because of problems with his
back.
At the end of the
career of a great baseball player, there is always discussion about his entry
into the Hall of Fame. For a pitcher, the yardstick has always been 300 wins.
That is changed in recent years, for a variety of reasons. Halladay won only
203 games; however, he will be given serious consideration for the Hall for
several other reasons. He won a Cy Young Award as the best pitcher in both the
American and National Leagues.
He pitched a perfect
game, then added a no-hitter in his first post season start with the Phillies
in 2010. He won 22 games in 2003, still a Blue Jay club record.
Another dominant
pitcher who came up with the Jays, Chris Carpenter, has also announced his
retirement from the St. Louis
As the Jays improved
nearing the 2010 season, it would have been a treat to see a healthy Carpenter working
with Halladay as Blue Jays. That was not to be, and the Jays have not won all
of the marbles for several years.
Halladay’s legacy
also includes the work he did for the community, through the Jays Care
Foundation, and through his own quiet efforts.
Without being too
cynical, it is worth a mention to say that there will not be a tag day for
either Halladay or Carpenter. Carpenter made almost one hundred million dollars
in his career, and Halladay a hundred and a half. Not too shabby.
But the game has lost
two classy individuals.
James Hurst
Sportslices.blogspot.com
