The Boys Are Back in Town.....

To steal a line from eveyone's favorite 80's band, Thin Lizzy, "the boys are back in town..." They may not have returned in bright white sports cars, but fifteen years after leaving, NHL hockey has returned to Manitoba. In case you live under a rock, True North Sports yesterday announced that they had purchased the Atlanta Thrashers and would be re - locating the team to Winnipeg in time for the 2011 season. As a Canadian, and a Canadian hockey fan, how can one not love the fact that another team will know call the birthplace of hockey home. However, this announcement is still tainted to me by the words and actions of others. I know that those with an education in this matter have a right to speak to this, but what really sparks my inner rage is the common joe idiots with all their negative theories as to why NHL hockey won't work in Winnipeg. For those of you who think you have a theory on why NHL hockey won't work in Winnipeg, shut up and listen as I am only saying this once.
Point A: It is 2011. The economic situation is drastically different now than it was in 1996 when the Jets flew south on a one way trip.
Point B: A salary cap is now in place in the NHL which means that there is a more equitable playing grounds for all NHL teams, unlike 1996.
Point C: Their owner is one of the richest men in the world, not Canada but the WORLD, and he will do all he can to make it work.
Point D: They WILL sell tickets, not only to those in Winnipeg, but also the surrounding area namely Manitoba and eastern Saskatchewan. You must rememeber they are not getting an expansion team and starting from scratch, they are getting a team that is stocked with young talent, and was without a slide in the last month of last season, potentially a play - off team.
Point E: Shut your mouths and give it a chance. If you are against this, you are not a fan of hockey in Canada. Move to the United States and enjoy watching games with the other 217 people showing up to watch games in Atlanta where they don't annoucne the attendance, they introduce all the fans by name.
In case you missed my point, I am all for the return of hockey to Winnipeg. I not only hope they can make it work, I believe they can make it work. And lastly, I hope like hell the 'Jets' name once again flies proudly in the Manitoba capital.

Sticking with the ice, the Stanley Cup Finals, usually the biggest event of the year in Canada, was forced to take a back seat to yesterday's news. Nonetheless, Game One of the Finals goes tonight at Rogers Centre as the Canucks host the Boston Bruins. As I have said from day one of the post season, my greatest desire is to see someone other than the Canucks win the Cup. Having said that, Boston is my last hope. While I think they can beat the Canucks, I am going to refuse to make a prediction out of the realization that I suck at prognosticating. Jimmy the Greek has nothing to fear when it comes to my predictions.
However, what needs to happen for Boston to be successful is Zdeno Chara MUST play like a man of his size and do all he can to make the Sedin's hurt....not injure them but just generally inflict pain. Is it just me or has Chara's hard nosed approach to the game become somewhat softened in the wake of the Max Pacioretty incident?

Off to football, and believe it or not, Rider's rookie camp starts today at Mosaic Stadium. It is hard to believe that is has been over six months since I was staring aimlessly at the floor trying to come to grips with the fact that we once again found a way to lose a Grey Cup. Oh well, every season comes with renewed optimism and 2011 is no exception.
Big news out of Riderville today concerning a couple of high profile Canadians. First off, 14 year Rider Chris Szarka has been released. While Szarka did a ton for this organization, his shelf life was nearing that expiration date, and with three other quality, younger fullbacks coming to camp, the writing was on the wall here.
Secondly, and a little more surprising was word that Rob Bagg injured his knee last week, was forced to have surgery and will start the season on the 9 Game Injury List. There are rumors flying that it is more than a simply knee injury, but rather that it is a complete ACL tear, and he could be out of football for up to a year. I love Rob Bagg, think he has the biggest set of manhood in the league and obviously we are a better football team without him. However, we are very fortunate in Riderville knowing that this loss does not impact nearly as much as it would in other centres. Our cookie jar is stuffed with recievers who can play this game. Here's to hoping Bagg is back as soon as possible, but thank god we have done a tremendous job of acquiring and bringing in the level of talent we have at the reciever position.

Off to College football south of the border, and the ongoing scandal surrounding the Ohio State Buckeyes. As a lifelong Michigan fan, I hate Ohio State; always have and always will. Having said that, reading the stories of what is going on down there only makes me smile. For those of you unfamiliar to the situation, over the last few months, several players on the Buckeyes football team have been suspended for receiving gifts and cash, both of which are direct contradictions to the rules of NCAA football. As the investigation goes on, it now looks as if this has been going on for years. What is more sickening is the fact that their Head Coach for the last ten years, Jim Tressel, not only knew about it, but swept it all under the rug. Jim's failure to vacuum up the mess ultimately cost him his job as he resigned earlier this week but I really don't think the folks at OSU were begging him to stick around. This is not the last you will hear of this story; expect some sanctions on this program by the NCAA in the weeks and months to come. Perhaps another SMU on our hands? SMU, or Southern Methodist University is the only program in the NCAA to have their program completely shut down for a period of time for similar problems.
As for Tressel, add his name to a long list of well respected men in sports whose diarrahetic decision making has done nothing more than ruined a once highly respected reputation. SEE: Pete Rose, Joe Jackson, et al.

You want the worst gig in NHL hockey? Kevin Dineed must. It is reportd that Dineen has agreed to become the next Head Coach of the Florida Panthers. Seriously this job is like a death sentence; nobody supports you, the management team does a terrible job with the talent on the ice, and they have been irrelevant for their entire existence short of their shocking run to the finals in 1996. Honestly, why would anyone want this job? The only positive with this position is nobody cares about hockey enough in Florida to even get upset when they suck year after year.

Lastly, I spent some time this weekend watching baseball. The Blue Jays were hosting the White Sox, and in watching this I realized there are two things I love about the Chicago White Sox:
(A) Manager Ozzie Guillen. This guy is a card; he says what he thinks and does not hold back any punches. Often times he goes too far, but I respect anyone who doesn't worry about what others think; they just say what they think.
(B) Their broadcast crew on WGN television out of Chicago. I can't think of their names right now, but if you ever get a chance to watch the White Sox play on WGN, tune in. These guys LOVE their team. While I normally despise 'Homers', these guys somehow make it fun to listen to......"Put it on the board........YES!" or "Get foul!" are just a tinkering of how they make watching baseball a little more enjoyable. Perhaps they could teach a course that helps to make broadcasters much more enjoyable to listen to. If that day should come, I nominate Rob Black as the first one who should enroll. Seriously, why does this guy still have a job. He is terrible; the only sport he is any good at broadcasting is figure skating and let's face it...figure skating, really?

Who was in charge of picking the tournament All - Stars at last weeks Memorial Cup? Have they ever watched hockey before? My issue is with their choice of tournament All - Star at the goaltender position. Jordan Bannington of the Owen Sound Attack was their choice in the end. While I have nothing against this young man; how do you not give this to Jacob Deserres of the champion Saint John Sea Dogs. The kid was fantastic all week, and was literally the best player on the ice in Sunday's final. In addition, how can you give this to a kid who didn't even have the confidence of his own coach to play their tie - breaker game against Kootenay. BRUTAL!!!!

I honestly can't think of anything else.....Later