Tuesday, January 27, 2015
SuperBowl XLIX-Arizona
It is a busy sports week in Arizona.
They will play golf, and expect enormous crowds on Saturday. The Arizona
Coyotes will be on the road, playing the Leafs, the Senators, and the
Canadiens. The Phoenix Suns entertain Washington Wizards, and the Chicago
Bulls. The football teams will arrive in time to practice a little, and to
drive the press corps absolutely crazy. The media have limited opportunities to
grill the players and the coaches, and that is not a bad thing. After all, this
is supposed to be about a game.
For those of you who spend a little
time following American football, it comes as no surprise that there has been
some discussion about the amount of air that should be inside a football. There
is a great story in the local rag here, the Fort Myers News-Press. One of the
sports writers for the paper, David Dorsey, ran the issue by one of our local
residents, Larry Rose. Rose worked for 17 years in the NFL as a side judge, and
his insight into the issue is well worth noting. Ever since the Patriots
soundly trounced the Colts 45-7, there has been a furor over the condition of
the footballs. The Patriots have been accused of some skullduggery, hissing a
little air out of the balls so that Tom Brady could get a better grasp of the
pigskin.
Mr. Rose outlined the process of
getting the game balls into the game. There are a dozen balls used for kicking
that are delivered to the officials prior to the game at their hotel. “Those
balls are in a box, sealed. We take them with us to the stadium. We clean them.
We rub them. We scrub them. We do everything with them.” In other words, the
officials look after the kicking balls.
His next few statements shocked me.
“Each team brings in their own balls. The balls have their own logos burned
into the rubber.” The ball boys deliver the balls to the officials. They clean,
scrub, put a marking on them, and fill them with air. They bag them, and lock
them up. When they take the field, they
deliver the balls to a supposedly secure area. Rose added: “Once we get to the
field and drop the balls off, it’s out of our control. We’re out refereeing the
game. We’re not worried about the balls.”
Rest assured, there will be better
controls from here on in. I watched NBA basketball referees at courtside before
the game. They carefully marked three game balls, the two reserve balls
remaining at the scorer’s table. Reflect back to the pranks of the Harlem
Globetrotters! They had some great ball tricks, including deflation! NHL pucks are
frozen before each game, and are carefully guarded at the timekeeper/scorer
table. Major League baseball umpires rub down baseballs before a game with
special mud, taken from the New Jersey side of the Delaware River. The balls
are then kept from the teams, until the umpires put them in play. Pitchers may
take liberties with the balls after they receive them, subject to penalty.
In conclusion, no other major sport
allows teams the opportunity to mess with game equipment before the start of
the game. I am certain the practice has ended for the NFL.
Russell Wilson and Brady will go head
to head in a classic SuperBowl encounter. The Seahawks will attempt to spring
their running backs early, whereas the Patriots will rely on Gronkowski, Edelman
and company to pave the way. You still have three days to stock the fridge and
fill the chip bowls. Enjoy!
But first things first! Off to see the Florida Panthers and the Detroit Red Wings tonight!
James Hurst
Sportslices.blogspot.com
January 26, 2015
Monday, January 19, 2015
Wear an Old Hat!
Chris Kushneriuk and Patrick McEachen
If you are
attending a hockey game featuring two high scoring teams, wear an old hat. At a
recent Florida Everblades game, we sat near the last row in the arena. Chris
Kushneriuk netted his third goal in the game. I expected the avalanche of hats
to hit the ice. To my utter dismay, only
one hat was thrown on the ice. One! Some tribute!
I was
shocked. Bobby Feldman, a serious hockey fan, and long-time Florida resident,
said that hats are just too expensive nowadays. That being the case, I suggest
that you buy cheap hats to wear to hockey games.
Kushneriuk
began the weekend with four goals in 23 games. He added markers in his last
three contests, and now has nine as the teams break for the All Star game. The
Everblades stand in first place in the ECHL’s East Division of the Eastern
Conference. They have 53 points in 34 games, but remain only 12 points ahead of
the fifth place team from South Carolina.
Kushneriuk
has truly experienced the most amazing route in his career. An Ottawa native,
he began his junior career with the Orleans Blades in the Central Junior loop.
He played his University hockey in the States, finishing up at Robert Morris
University. In 2010, he began his pro career in Wheeling, West Virginia, with
the Nailers. He also played for the Bakersfield Condors the following year, and
began experiencing discomfort.
Chris was
twenty-five years old at that time, often the prime time in one’s hockey
career. Following several trips to the doctor, he learned that he had Stage
Four testicular cancer, and that it had spread to his lymph nodes, his liver
and his abdomen. He underwent treatments of chemotherapy and surgery at Indiana
University, under the care of Dr. Lawrence Einhorn.
He regained
his strength with the support of his professional hockey friends, his faith,
and his former mates from Robert Morris University. He now works with the
Canadian Cancer Society, offering assistance and motivation whenever possible. “I
call it a bad dream I had to wake up from. It’s cool being on the other end of
it, and being able to turn something so devastating into something good.”
He spent
almost half an hour on the ice after the others had left practice, with Patrick
McEachen, working on quick passing and shooting drills. McEachen returned to
the ice last weekend after missing several games due to injury.
The Blades
are on the road this coming weekend for a pair of games against the Gwinnett
Gladiators. They lost 7-2 to the Gladiators on Saturday night, and yet Coach
Poss is happy with their position at this time. “This break is coming at the exact
right time for us.”
No matter.
Just get out there and buy a cheap hat, if you don’t mind!
James Hurst
January 19,
2015
Tuesday, January 13, 2015
Snakes and Ladders 2015 Hockey
To refresh your memory: Snakes and
Ladders was the wonderful board game of your youth. You rolled the dice, and
moved your piece on the board. With good fortune, you would avoid the snakes.
If you landed on a snake, you could go from almost winning to definitely
losing. The ladders helped. You could climb your way to the next level.
Carefully.
Such is the nature of hockey in the
minor professional leagues. We are back in Fort Myers, not too far from the
Germain Arena, home of the Florida Everblades. The Blades play in the Eastern Conference
of the ECHL along with nine other teams. Five teams are located in the south
east, the others in the north east. There is also a Western Conference
consisting of 11 teams, from California to Alaska.
Most of the teams in the league have
affiliation with American Hockey League teams, and NHL teams. The Everblades
align with the Charlotte Checkers and the Syracuse Crunch of the AHL, and the
Tampa Bay Lightning and the Carolina Huricanes of the NHL. Some affiliate with one team, some
with none. It is the ultimate goal for every player at the ECHL level to move
up to the AHL, and then to the NHL. Along the way, however, are those snakes
and ladders.
Injuries often get in the way.
Patrick McEachen spent the first few games this season as an observer. The team
carried more defencemen that required, and Patrick was the odd man out. Players
were moved to the AHL, and to other teams, and subsequently, Patrick was
inserted into the lineup. He played well for eight games, then ran into the
injury bug. He has been skating lately, and his return to the lineup is
imminent.
Chris Kushneriuk and Patrick McEachen
Quite often it depends on the
chemistry of the team, and how the coach perceives that chemistry. Some coaches
like to build speedy teams with smaller, highly skilled players. If you are a
gigantic slug, you should look elsewhere for work. But teams cannot rely
entirely on speed. At the ECHL level, all teams must be prepared for physical
play as well. In this regard, the Everblades rely on Tyson Gimblett.
Gimblett began his Junior career with
the Cobourg Cougars of the OPJHL in 2000. He played 45 games, and spent 92
minutes in the penalty box. Tyson stands 6’ 3”, and tips the scales at 215
pounds. I imagine he was a big lad when he started with Cobourg, but he was 15
years old at that time! The following year, he played briefly with St.
Michael’s Buzzers, then moved up to the Majors. He played for Owen Sound and
Saginaw in the OHL before returning to the Georgetown raiders of the OPJHL. He
told me he knew the interior of the DukeDome, intimately. He also spent five
years at the University of Prince Edward Island, with former Dukes Steve Cooke
and Dayne Davis. He is in his third season in Florida.
The ‘Blades are experiencing a banner
season, thus far. They have won 24 games, lost 5 and have 2 shootout losses.
They lead the East Division of their conference. Much of their success can be
attributed to their coach, Greg Poss. Due to his experience and knowledge, he
is able to juggle the lineup for every game. He must make adjustments weekly
for the players he loses to the parent teams. Former Belleville Bull, Alex
Aleardi, was recently called up to the Checkers, leaving a gap in the lineup
After the Game-Why not?
They play the Wheeling Nailers
tonight! It’s the $ 2 drafts, dogs, and wine night. All night long. Bring your
appetite, and your thirst!
James Hurst
January 13, 2015
Tuesday, January 06, 2015
Tic Tac Tao, Baby!
Darnell Nurse quoted
his coach, Benoit Groulx, at the end of the IIHF World Junior Championship game
on Monday night in Toronto Russia
It was a game full of
momentum shifts, right from the drop of the puck to start the game. The
sponsors certainly benefited from the drama. No one in this house moved away
from the television set in the third period. And yet, with the barrage of goals
in the first two periods, no pucks entered the nets in the third.
The Canadian boys
advanced to the final game with a win over a spirited squad from Slovakia
After each game in
the tournament, awards are given for outstanding performance. Even before the
name had been announced for the “Player of the Game” for the Slovak team, the
fans began a chant of “Goalie, goalie”, recognizing the play of the Slovakian
netminder. When another player was chosen, they continued their chant. He
acknowledged their cheers with a cute little pirouette, waving his catching
glove in recognition. Slovak fans raised their sign, “In Godla we trust”.
The Slovaks defeated
the Swedes to win the bronze medal, a bit of an upset. After the final game,
Godla was chosen as the best goalie in the tournament. Max Domi won the award
as the best forward in the tourney. He certainly played spirited hockey. He is
a spunky player, and deserved recognition. He will now return to his junior
team, the London
Most of the players head
back to their junior teams; however, some will resume their professional
careers at all levels, including the NHL. Connor McDavid, the sensational kid
from Newmarket , returns to the Erie Belleville Wellington
Many of the players
from the other squads will also continue the season in the Canadian Hockey
League. Naturally, most of the European players will head to their teams in Europe , at the junior or at the professional level.
Several American players will return to their colleges.
Exhale Mabel. The
kids won the gold! Get some sleep!
January 6, 2015.
