Tuesday, April 30, 2013
Game Seven Outcomes-Always a Mystery!
The Belleville
Bulls have been playing a little shinny in the Ontario
Throughout the
winter, many hockey fans listen to the games on the radio, they watch the games
on local cable networks, or they click on the appropriate keys to get the games
via computer, world-wide. A local furniture company sponsors the web site, and
those of us lingering in parts far and wide can catch all of the action.
Many of us have
followed the exploits of the Dukes and the Bulls on our laptops. It certainly
does not beat live action at the arena. It does require a certain amount of
attention, and some imagination. Hearken back to the days of Foster Hewitt and
Hockey Night in Canada on
the radio, or those special moments when Jack Devine reported on the progress
of the Belleville McFarlands from Prague
Miller mentioned the
1999 edition of the Belleville Bulls, and their journey to the Memorial Cup.
The playoff run began with a four game sweep of the Sudbury Ottawa Ottawa
The Bulls and the
67’s split the season series, with six wins and a pair of ties each. The 67’s
were led by a young defenceman named Brian Campbell, now a perennial star in
the NHL with the Florida Ottawa
Coach Lou Crawford
decided to bench goalie Cory Campbell for an extra attacker in Game 4. Kevin
Baker scored in the dying seconds to tie the game. Glenn Crawford scored in
overtime to give the Bulls a 3-1 lead in the series. Captain Ryan Ready fired a
tying goal in regulation time, and a winner in overtime to win the series. This
gave the 67’s an incredible five week vacation until they had to take the ice
again as they hosted the Memorial Cup.
The Bulls had to earn
their way to the Cup final. They then faced the Oshawa
Generals, who had come from behind to knock off the Barrie Guelph
The London
On Monday night, the
2012-2013 edition of the Bulls faced off against the Barrie
All the seats were
taken at the Quinte Sports Centre, and there were not many places to stand and
watch the game. That was good to see. There are several outstanding players
returning to the Bulls next year, with great promise for another fine season.
James Hurst
Sportslices.blogspot.com
Sunday, April 21, 2013
42
42
Jack Roosevelt Robinson was born in
Cairo, Georgia, in 1919, and attended high school and university in California.
An outstanding athlete, he chose baseball over the other sports, and played for
the Kansas City Monarchs for several years in the Negro League.
Branch Rickey worked for the Brooklyn
Dodgers, and he loved winning. He wanted the best players on his team, and
decided that Jackie Robinson could help his team win championships. He
contacted Jackie, and signed him as a free agent in 1945. His ultimate goal was
to have Jackie play in the National League for the Dodgers.
The major stumbling block to his plan
was that Jackie Robinson was black, and no black person had ever played in the
major leagues. History has shown that there were many black players who could
have played, had there not been a colour barrier.
The story about Robinson’s struggle
to break the barrier, and his triumph is wonderfully portrayed in the movie
“42”. That was Jackie’s uniform number, and it has been retired by Major League
Baseball. There is one player who still wears that number, Mariano Rivera of
the New York Yankees. Once Rivera retires, no other player will suit up as
number 42.
Not well known is the fact that
another young baseball player was also lured to the Dodger chain, Roberto
Clemente. Clemente was born in Puerto Rico, and played minor league ball in
Montreal with the Royals; however, he was drafted by the Pirates in 1954, and
spent his career with Pittsburgh until his untimely death in 1972.
Robinson also played for the Montreal
Royals before making his debut with the Dodgers on April 17, 1947. The movie
focuses on the few years that he prepared to enter the big leagues, and his
early years at that level.
One of his teammates on the Dodgers
was a wonderful pitcher named Carl Erskine. Erskine still lives in Indiana, and
is often asked to comment on Robinson’s days as a Dodger. “I always admired his
patience,” he states in an interview on the internet. “There were guys in the
Negro League that didn’t think he would make it. But Mr. Rickey saw his charge
was bigger than winning baseball games. The fact is, Jackie was an ordinary
human being, but he was denied all the rights of a human citizen.” Erskine is
proud to have played with Robinson.
The movie demonstrates that many fans
were opposed to seeing Robinson play in the National League. The team received
hundreds of threatening letters, as did Robinson. Several opponents and even
some teammates did not want to see the colour barrier broken. But it was time,
and Jackie was the man to do it.
Jackie was later joined on the team
by the great catcher Roy “Campy” Campanella, and Don Newcombe. In a matter of
years, all teams had African Americans on their squads, and the Negro League
was disbanded.
Chadwick Boseman plays Jackie in the
movie. He spent weeks honing his baseball skills, resulting in the most
realistic baseball movie yet to hit the silver screen. Harrison Ford plays
Branch Rickey, whom he describes as a “colourful and emotional character”.
Do not miss it.
James Hurst
Sportslices.blogspot.com
Monday, April 15, 2013
Coming Down the Home Stretch-NHL 2013
The season began in mid-January.
Since that time, neither the fans nor the players have had time to catch a
breath. Because of all the crunching done to the season following the lockout,
teams have had to play far more games in a shortened season than they would
have normally.
For the contenders, nothing can be
left on the ice. Every period, every shift is important. Gaining a playoff
berth at the end of the regular season might come down to one goal in a
shootout.
The Florida Panthers said goodbye to
the post season about a week ago when they dropped a couple of games on a road
trip. They are in a position to mess things up for several other teams, as they
face contenders in these last few games. They close out the season against the
Leafs, at home, on the 27th of April. At this time, General Manager
Dale Tallon, Alternate Governor Bill Torrey and the rest of the brass with the
Panthers are assessing the young talent that has spent much of the season in
the minors.
Drew Shore, Jonathan Huberdeau, Greg
Rallo, Nick Bjugstad and Quinton Howdon are young players getting a closer look
at this point in time. Huberdeau has had a fine season as a rookie, and is in
contention for honours in that regard. He has the makings of an outstanding
player, and will be an important part of the future of the Panthers.
There are many Leaf fans in the
Quinte area anxiously awaiting the final games of the season. The Leafs have
games with contenders, with teams vying for position in the standings, and
teams that are preparing for next year. They have games remaining against the
Islanders, the Sens, the Lightning, the Panthers, and the Habs. They are in the
driver’s seat at this time, but need a couple of wins to assure themselves of a
favourable spot in the dance.
They have received good goaltending
throughout the year. Reimer and Scrivens have split the season, with Reimer
starting most of the games. He has won 15 games, lost 5, and entertained 5
games in extra time. His save percentage is a respectable .919, and his goals
against average is 2.52.
Nazem Kadri
I chatted with Nazem Kadri when he
visited South Florida earlier in the season. He has 40 points at the time of
writing, including 17 goals. Surrounded by a dozen scribes in the dressing room
after the game, his main focus was to try to get the radio people to pronounce
his name correctly. All good citizens of the Leafs Nation could help them in
that regard!
Coaches often state that their best
players must come to the fore in order to win the big games. That has been the
case for the Leafs this season. James van Riemsdyk, Phil Kessel, Tyler Bozak,
and Dion Phaneuf follow Kadri in scoring, and that is as it should be.
The Leafs could end up facing the
Habs in the first round of the playoffs. It’s a good thing that there are two
television sets in a lot of households in Eastern Ontario!
James Hurst April 15, 2013
Sportslices.blogspot.com
Thursday, April 04, 2013
Let the Playoff games Begin!
Coach Gregg Poss, Owner Craig Brush, Ryan McGinnis
The regular season has concluded; the playoffs have arrived. The Florida Everblades of the ECHL have begun their quest to repeat as champions of the league. Last May, in overtime, they defeated the Las Vegas Wranglers to win their first Kelly Cup.
For team owner, Craig Brush, it was a
relief. The team struggled through all of the woes of the hockey wars to come
out on top. Even the thought of just making the playoffs was vague in February.
There were no guarantees. Much of the credit for getting to the top has been
credited to the coaching staff, and rightly so: Head Coach Greg Poss, and his
main assistant, Brad Tapper.
The ECHL is described as a “AA”
professional league. Essentially, it supplies the American Hockey League affiliates
with players, when their rosters get thin. That happens when the NHL teams
pluck players from the AHL teams. Consequently, the ECHL teams have to scramble
to find players to play the game. They come from all ranks. With the NHL
lockout, this was especially difficult this year.
Some are college players from
American and Canadian colleges. The current number one netminder of the
Everblades is Jesse Deckert. He arrived just at the right time, and has only
been beaten once in 11 starts for the ‘Blades. The Winnipeg native played
junior hockey in the Western Hockey League with Regina, Tri City and Prince
Albert, before registering at the University of Manitoba. He spent five years
there, and led his team to the semi-finals this spring.
He will be backed up by Brady Hjelle,
who has arrived from Ohio State. John Muse was the MVP of the Kelly Cup
playoffs last year, and he has been designated as a “Playoff Eligible” player
for the “Blades. Pat Nagle stopped a lot of pucks for the Florida team last
year, and he also could step between the pipes. Rob Madore, another former
‘Blade, is currently with the AHL affiliate, the Charlotte Checkers. He also might
get the nod.
To complicate the issue a little
more, keep in mind that the team also has connections with the Syracuse Crunch
of the AHL, the Carolina Hurricanes and the Tampa Bay Lightning of the NHL. And
of course, any players that have finished their season in the CHL might also
find work in the ECHL. Any player who has played five games in the ECHL as a member
of the ‘Blades is eligible for the playoffs.
Brad Tapper and Mario Lemieux
Tapper played for Poss in Germany for
the Nuermberg Ice Tigers. His career was shortened by injury in 2009, when he
took his hockey knowledge behind the bench of one of the Toronto-based teams in
the OPJHL. We met at the old “DukeDome” in Wellington when his team faced the
Dukes. Poss appreciates Tapper’s work: “He is good at skill development, and
has a great rapport with the players. He runs the defence during the games.”
In one of the last regular season
games, the ‘Blades faced the Orlando Solar Bears, a franchise re-established
this year after a ten tear hiatus. A couple of former Belleville Bulls skated
with the Bears: Michael Neal and Ryan Berard.
After his years with the Bulls, Neal played
three years with the Idaho Steelheads of the ECHL, with stints in the AHL with
the Texas Stars. This season, he has registered 32 points in 44 games with the
Solar Bears. Berard spent almost three years with the Bulls, beginning in 2003.
In 2008, he signed on at Carleton University in Ottawa. He recently joined the
Bears.
The Blades face the Elmira Jackals this
weekend at the Germain Arena. Thus begins their quest for another Kelly Cup.
Only six players remain from last year’s championship squad. Days of ninety
degree heat surround the rink. No matter. Throw a jacket over your arm for the
game.
James Hurst
