piper's points

Roberto Luongo has possibly played his last game for the Vancouver Canucks.

He’s been the whipping boy in Van city for the past few years. His inconsistency and massive contract don’t jive well together. With the steady emergence of backup Corey Schneider, it seemed like only a matter of time before Bobby Lou was dealt.

The Canucks losing in the first round of the playoffs will only speed up that process.

Meanwhile, Rick Nash will be on his way out of Columbus this summer, as early as at the draft in June. You don’t see blockbuster 1-for-1 deals too often, but doesn’t a Luongo for Nash deal make sense for both teams?

The opportunity to land a sniper like Nash doesn’t come around too often and the Blue Jackets could use an upgrade in goal.

Steve Mason won the Calder as NHL rookie of the year in 2008-2009, after posting 33 wins and a 2.29 GAA. In the three years since, he’s averaged 20 wins and a 3.16 GAA. Mason has one year left on his contract ($3.2 million) before becoming a restricted free agent.

The deal makes sense financially: Luongo has $47.3 million owed to him over the next 10 years, while Nash has $47.4 million owed to him over the next 6 years.

Luongo has said he would waive his no trade clause in order to do what is best for the team. What remains to be seen is if he would do so if a fair offer came along from a lowly team like Columbus. Then, we’ll see how desperate he is to get out of Vancouver – and be a team player.

Meanwhile, there are rumours that Bobby Lou might end up in Toronto. Then again any athlete that is available, whether it’s an NHL, MLB or NBA star, is usually rumoured to be on his way to Toronto.

NEXT ROUND ON ME: After a dreadful start to the first round, I finished 4-4. Looking forward to Round 2. I’ll go with Nashville and Los Angeles in the West, and New York and Philadelphia in the East.

HEY BIG SPENDER: It’s interesting to see how many big spending teams failed to make it into the second round of the NHL playoffs. Of the teams with the top 10 payrolls, only Philadelphia (1), Washington (2) and Los Angeles (7) remain in the hunt for Lord Stanley. On the other hand, some of the lowest spending organizations are off to Round 2, including Phoenix (22), St. Louis (23) and Nashville (24).

COYOTES UGLY DROUGHT OVER: The Coyotes won their first playoff series since moving to Phoenix in 1996, ousting the Chicago Blackhawks in six games. It took them 16 years, and they did it ironically in the first season that Winnipeg welcomed the NHL back to Manitoba. Good for their fans in Arizona, who may not have an NHL team next fall.

PAIR OF UFA’S PAYING OFF: Brian Elliott and Mike Smith are sure making the teams they were let go by last year look silly. Both Ottawa and Colorado didn’t want Elliott, but the St. Louis Blues signed the unrestricted free agent on July 1. He posted a 1.56 GAA this year in 38 games and will be the man in between the pipes when the Blues face Los Angeles in the second round. Steve Yzerman and the Tampa Bay Lighting chose not to resign Smith, who was snagged by the Phoenix Coyotes on July 1. He posted 38 wins and a 2.21 GAA in the regular season and has led the Coyotes into Round 2 vs. the Nashville Predators. While Elliott and Smith obviously have the ability, a lot of their success has to be credited to Ken Hitchcock and Dave Tippett, respectively. Their defensive systems make it a lot easier to put up those kinds of numbers.

SID TAKES A PASS: Sidney Crosby’s frustrating season is officially over after he turned down an invitation to play for Canada at the World Championships. He will now focus on training for next season. It’s maddening for me to see guys like Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Toews and now Crosby turn down the opportunity to play for their country. Crosby isn’t hurt – perhaps mentally drained – so he should be there for Canada. Obviously the Worlds don’t mean as much to Canadians as they do to other countries across the pond. Meanwhile, Evgeni Malkin has been added to Russia’s roster.

LUPUL BACK WITH CAREER YEAR: Max Pacioretty and Daniel Alfredsson had great comeback seasons, but Joffrey Lupul should win the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy. Lupul’s career almost came to an end in 2010 after two back surgeries. He also overcame a blood infection and was a point-per-game player for the Maple Leafs this season before separating his shoulder in April.

COLTS COULDN’T CLOSE: The Cornwall Colts can hold their heads high, despite falling in the CCHL final for the second straight year. That was one speedy and talented Nepean squad they lost to. Raiders defencemen Ben Hutton and Ryan Johnston were the difference in the series; it seemed like they played 30 minutes each per game. Couldn’t help but think that Youssef Kabbaj (who left earlier in the season for the QMJHL) would have been a difference maker for Cornwall.

LNAH FINAL SET: Windsor will take on Thetford in the LNAH final, which begins Friday night. Windsor is looking to repeat as champs; it’s also their third straight final. Local hockey fans might want to keep an eye on this series, as the LNAH will be coming to Cornwall next season.

PIPER’S POINTS: The 40^th annual Raisin River Canoe Race was cut short by 10 km but still went on as scheduled last weekend. Water levels were low and only 98 canoes registered for the event. It was a bumpy ride, but my partner and I were able to once again shoot the dam successfully! Planning a race around Mother Nature has to be difficult, but perhaps it shouldn’t be scheduled so far in advance. This year, all the snow melted in late March and water levels would have been ideal then. I’ve been in 4 of the last 5 events and like most participants; I wouldn’t need more than a couple weeks’ notice in order to register for the race.

rodwilson@gmail.com
@piperspoints.com

It’s been a frustrating 16 months for Sidney Crosby.

Sid the Kid hoped to finally put his concussion/neck injury behind him and focus on hockey in the playoffs. But the hockey gods had different plans, matching the Pittsburgh Penguins up with the Philadelphia Flyers in the first round.

The rivalry has never been more intense and the Flyers are clearly getting under the skin of a frustrated Crosby, who appears to be mentally exhausted.

Crosby has always been focused on being the best player possible. He had early success as a pro: he won the Hart Trophy in 2007, captured the Stanley Cup in 2009 and scored the golden goal for Canada at the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver.

He is still putting up the points (3 goals, 5 assists in 4 games) but that has to be put into perspective; this has been a crazy, high-scoring series. The Pens might be up 3-1 instead of down 3-1 if their captain focused more on hockey instead of his hatred for the Flyers.

After what he’s been through since suffering his head/neck injury in January 2011, some say the Pens should have shut their superstar down for the season. That would have obviously been an incredibly difficult decision to make.

Crosby, for the most part, is a classy guy, even with the media. But that hasn’t been the case this week either as he’s said flat out that he dislikes every one of the Flyers.

At times like these, it’s easy to forget Crosby is only 24 years old. But still, he’s Pittsburgh’s captain and the whining and extracurricular activity after the play has been a distraction to his team. Hey, he can be physical out there; I have no problem with that. But he isn’t helping the Penguins right now with this type of leadership. Star players like Kris Letang and James Neal have followed suite and the Pens are in trouble. Sure, the pounded the Flyers 10-3 on Wednesday night, but they’ve dug themselves a big hole.

For the fans, it’s been an exciting series to watch: tons of scoring and plenty of nastiness. Ratings are through the roof for TSN and even down in the U.S. as well.

But Penguins owner Mario Lemieux is embarrassed with his team’s play and conduct. Even though the points are still there for Crosby, Lemieux and hockey fans everywhere still expect more from the best player in the game today.

ROAD WARRIORS: Road teams are an incredible 19-9 this post-season through Wednesday night’s games. Detroit, Pittsburgh and Vancouver are each 0-2 at home. Those three teams were a combined 87-27-9 at home during the regular season. In fact, Detroit set an NHL record this year with 23 consecutive wins on home ice.

THE RATS ARE BACK: The Florida Panthers are looking to win their first playoff series since 1996, when they went all the way to the Stanley Cup final. During that run, which ended with a loss to Patrick Roy and the Colorado Avalanche, Florida fans would toss plastic rats on the ice to celebrate goals. It all started when Scott Mellanby killed a rat in the locker room with his stick before a Panthers game. Mellanby then went out and scored a pair of goals that night – with the same stick. One member of that team was current Cornwall Colts associate coach Ray Sheppard, who had 16 points in 21 games for the Panthers that spring.

QUICKLY BECOMING A STAR: Jonathan Quick has been the best-kept secret in the Western Conference this season – until now. The Los Angeles Kings netminder is having his coming-out party in these playoffs. He’s been sensational in the first round vs. the Vancouver Canucks, allowing only seven goals in the first four games of the series. The 26-year-old posted his second straight 35-win campaign and had an impressive 1.95 GAA this season.

TOUGH WAY FOR ALFIE TO GO OUT: It’s been a memorable season for Daniel Alfredsson and hopefully the Senators captain hasn’t played his last game in Ottawa’s series vs. the New York Rangers. Alfredsson, who bounced back with solid offensive numbers this year, was selected as a captain at the All-Star Game in Ottawa and led the rebuilding Sens to an unlikely post-season berth. Ottawa fans have shown Alfredsson their appreciation all year and I love how they count down to the eleven minute mark of every period, and then chant “Alfie! Alfie! Alfie!” The Sens leader suffered a concussion when he took a Carl Hagelin elbow to the head in Game 2. Hagelin was suspended for three games.

COLTS ONE WIN AWAY: For the second straight spring, the Colts will host Game 6 of the CCHL final in their own barn with the Bogart Cup in the house. This time, it’s the Colts who can capture the championship at the Ed Lumley Arena on Friday night. Playoff hero Michael Borkowski scored the winner in double overtime on Wednesday night to give Cornwall a 3-2 series lead over Nepean. Tyson and Tylor Spink assisted on the goal, as the Colgate line combined for eight points on the night. The Colts can win their first playoff championship in 11 years on Friday night – and advance to the Fred Page Cup, which will be held April 24-29 in Kanata.

READY FOR A ROCKY RACE: This weekend marks the 40^th anniversary of the Raisin River Canoe Race, which runs from St. Andrews to Williamstown every spring. Water levels aren’t high, but the race will go on. Thankfully, there’s quite a bit of rain in the forecast heading into the weekend; but it might still be a bumpy ride for canoeists.

PIPER’S POINTS: Many predicted a Vancouver/Pittsburgh Stanley Cup final. I was one of them, and I loaded up on Canucks and Penguins in my playoff pool as well. I guess I was WAY OFF! Both teams trail in their series, 3-1. Dare I say the Flyers/Kings will still be playing in June? That prediction might be as safe as three-goal leads in these NHL playoffs.

rodwilson@gmail.com
Twitter: @piperspoints.com

It’s my favourite time of the year – the NHL playoffs.

Many die-hard hockey fans will spend more time with the CBC’s Ron MacLean and TSN’s James Duthie over the next two months than they will with their own family! Sixteen teams will battle it out over the next eight gruelling weeks and in June; one team will be crowned Stanley Cup champions.

Unlike recent seasons, the East is just as strong as the West – with powerhouses such as the defending champion Boston Bruins, Crosby and Malkin’s Pittsburgh Penguins and the top-seeded New York Rangers.

There isn’t much to cheer for if you are a Canadian team. But, the Vancouver Canucks could be poised to get back to the final and avenge their Game 7 loss a year ago to the Bruins.

The Ottawa Senators are the only other Canadian club in the playoffs and they’ll be in tough against Henrik Lundqvist and the Rangers in Round 1. Still, the Sens are confident having won 3-of-4 regular season contests against New York.

Here are my predictions:

EASTERN CONFERENCE:

New York Rangers (1) vs. Ottawa Senators (8): Even with the addition of Brad Richards this year, the Rangers continue to struggle offensively. But, with Henrik Lundqvist having an MVP-type season in goal, the blue shirts won a league-best 51 games. Ottawa, which actually won the season series 3-1, wasn’t even supposed to be in the post-season but they’ll get a few bonus games for their fans. RANGERS IN SIX

Boston Bruins (2) vs. Washington Capitals (7): The defending champs have had their ups and downs this season, but finished strong, going 7-2-1 in their last 10 games. Meanwhile, the Caps survived a coaching change and horrible seasons by snipers Alex Ovechkin and Alexander Semin. Zdeno Chara will be able to shut down the Caps snipers and Boston has too much depth up front. BRUINS IN SIX

Florida Panthers (3) vs. New Jersey Devils (6): Florida and New Jersey finished 15^th and 11^th in the East last year, respectively. Both had surprising seasons. The Devils won their last six regular season games to finish with 102 points. Not bad for a No. 6 seed. The Panthers, meanwhile, had the worst goals for/goals against differential among the 16 playoff teams this season (-24). DEVILS IN SIX

Pittsburgh Penguins (4) vs. Philadelphia Flyers (5): The marquee matchup in the first round. It’s a shame that one of these two teams won’t be around for Round 2. Flyers goalie Ilya Bryzgalov will have to be out of this world to slow down the high-flying Pens offence. This series could get nasty. The Flyers are one of the leagues most penalized teams, while the Pens have some of the dirtiest players in the league, according to the Flyers coaching staff. PENGUINS IN SEVEN

WESTERN CONFERENCE:

Vancouver Canucks (1) vs. Los Angeles Kings (8): The Canucks had their scoring problems in their last playoff series vs. Boston in the final. Kings goalie Jonathan Quick won’t make Vancouver’s life any easier. Quick was among the best in goal this season with a 1.95 GAA. But, Los Angeles does struggle themselves at putting the puck in the net – even with the talent that they have up front. But, this post-season is all about redemption for Roberto Luongo and this could be best matchup possible for him. CANUCKS IN SIX

St. Louis Blues (2) vs. San Jose Sharks (7): This should be a great series. The Sharks got close last year but could have easily been on the outside looking in this season in the West. Anti Niemi has been inconsistent this season, but this is the time of year that he shines. Still, San Jose is up against Ken Hitchcock’s well-coached Blues; Jaroslav Halak and Brian Elliott combined for 15 shutouts this season. BLUES IN SEVEN

Phoenix Coyotes (3) vs. Chicago Blackhawks (6): Two red-hot teams collide here. The Coyotes and Blackhawks each lost only one regulation game in their final 10 contests. Phoenix got great goaltending from Mike Smith (2.21 GAA), while Corey Crawford (2.70 GAA) has struggled with his play in the Chicago crease. Still, the Blackhawks have so much fire power with Marian Hossa, Patrick Sharp and Patrick Kane. Jonathan Toews is also expected to be healthy for Chicago. BLACKHAWKS IN SIX

Nashville Predators (4) vs. Detroit Red Wings (5): Like in the East, the 4 vs. 5 matchup could be the best series in the West. The Central Division rivals finished only two points apart and split the season series 3-3. Nashville was one of the more aggressive teams at the Trade Deadline acquiring Hal Gill, Paul Gaustad and Andrei Kostitsyn. They of course added Alexander Radulov from the KHL a couple of weeks ago. But, their best player continues to be big goaltender Pekka Rinne, who will have to be at his best to stop Henrik Zetterberg, Pavel Datsyuk and the ageless Red Wings. PREDATORS IN SEVEN

STANLEY CUP FINAL: Vancouver will defeat Pittsburgh in the Cup final; Luongo will get the last laugh and win the Conn Smythe (MVP).

LUCK OF THE OIL: The poor Columbus Blue Jackets have had such a rough season, they can’t even win the NHL Lottery. Instead, the Edmonton Oilers won the right to select first at this summer’s entry draft, despite only 18.8% odds. The Oilers may go ahead and use the pick, but to me, they’re better off moving this pick for a solid young defencemen and/or a goaltender, which they need badly. They should make a pitch at a young goaltender like Jonathan Bernier, who is buried behind Jonathan Quick as the Los Angeles Kings backup. Bernier, 23, was the 11^th overall pick in 2006 and he has one more year on his deal at only $1.5 million.

JUST CAN’T CLOSE: Newly acquired Blue Jays closer Sergio Santos is off to a rough start in Toronto. He has given up four runs in two innings of work, blowing two save opportunities already.

OZZIE’S BIG MOUTH: I’ve always found the outspoken Ozzie Guillen to be quite entertaining with his rants. But this week, the Miami Marlins manager took it too far, saying he admired Fidel Castro. Guillen was suspended for five games for the comments and he has since called it the biggest mistake of his life. Guillen can continue to be opinionated and controversial, but he should stick to what he knows best – baseball.

THOMAS BACK IN DC: Speaking of outspoken sports figures, Boston goaltender Tim Thomas will return to Washington as the Bruins and Capitals faceoff in the NHL playoffs. Thomas made headlines in January when he refused to visit the White House with his teammates. If Thomas can concentrate on his duties in the crease, Boston should have little trouble with the Caps. But you can bet Washington fans will be on Thomas’ case.

PIPERS’S POINTS: Thankfully, we’ve had a lot of rain here locally this past week. Unless the soggy weather continues, the 40^th edition of the Raisin River Canoe Race, which is to be held Sunday, April 22, might become a 35 kilometer portage race.

rodwilson@gmail.com
Follow me on Twitter @piperspoints

This week will go a long way in determining the fate of semi-pro hockey in Cornwall.

It certainly isn’t a secret anymore; Mitch Gagne and his well-established partners are putting the final pieces in place to bring an LNAH squad to the Seaway Valley.

First, on Tuesday April 10^th, City Council will have a look at the detailed request put together by Gagne and Co. Obviously, ice isn’t an issue, because Gagne will give up his own time on Saturday nights at the Ed Lumley Arena.

Meanwhile, the group’s purchase of an LNAH team is imminent.

It appears that this is a matter of when and not if – and that is great news for local hockey fans.

But what does this mean for the Cornwall Colts? Well, absolutely nothing in my opinion. There’s more than enough room in this city for two hockey teams.

The Cornwall Comets never pulled away fans from the Colts and the same goes with the Akwesasne Warriors of the FHL. Junior and semi-pro hockey are two completely different products.

If you want to watch young locals compete in passionate and fast-paced hockey; then you’ll pay $12 to see a Colts game. Every Thursday, there are the usual 1,000 spectators at the Ed Lumley Arena. That number rises considerably in the playoffs: Last night (Thursday), Cornwall had 1,631 fans in the stands to watch the hometown Colts advance to their second straight CCHL final.

But there are a couple thousand other fans in this city that would pay a little more to watch former junior stars compete at a higher level. Quebec league hockey is intense and it’s a different breed altogether. If you’ve ever been to a game in Laval or St-Jean, Que. for example, you know what I mean. It’s hard-hitting and physical hockey.

The Colts, no matter what, will continue to have their loyal fans show up on Thursday nights. Maybe a couple hundred of them will be curious to see a game or two on Saturday nights. But for the most part, these two teams will have a different fan base.

The point is, now is the time for Cornwall to have a Junior and Senior hockey team. For that to become a reality, it all starts this Tuesday at City Council.

BRING ON THE LUMBER KINGS: The Colts are off to the CCHL final after knocking out the upstart Hawkesbury Hawks in Round 2. I would love to see Jonathan Milley and the Pembroke Lumber Kings as the Colts opponent in the final. This is the year for the Colts and what better way to win the championship than to beat the 5-time defending champion Lumber Kings, who were also national champions last year. Pembroke leads Nepean 3-2 in the other semi-final.

HEART OF THE HABS: Diminutive Montreal Canadiens centre David Desharnais has something in common with the Habs top two paid forwards AND top two paid defencemen. Desharnais, who earned $750,000 this season, has been the catalyst on the Habs top line, leading Erik Cole and Max Pacioretty to career bests in goals with 34 and 32, respectively. Brian Gionta ($5 million), Scott Gomez ($7.5 million), Andrei Markov ($5.75 million) and Thomas Kaberle ($4.25 million) earn a combined $22.5 million this year or $21.75 million more than Desharnais. So what do they have in common? Desharnais has 60 points this season, the exact same amount as Gionta, Gomez, Markov and Kaberle, combined! Oh, and they’ve played in a total of 151 games compared to Desharnais’ 80.

BLUE JAYS ALL THE WAY: The Blue Jays rallied in their season opener in Cleveland on Wednesday to beat the Indians 7-4 in 16 innings, the longest opening-day game ever in the majors. It’s important the Jays carry over the success they had this spring and start strong start in the regular season. There’s so much hype around Toronto with this team, as they try to reach the post season for the first time since they won the World Series in 1993.

NO T.O. FOR VOTTO: 1B Joey Votto hit the jackpot this week, signing a 10-year, $250 million extension with the Cincinnati Reds. The Toronto native has averaged 30 homers, 100 RBI with a .318 batting average over the past three seasons. If any major leaguer deserves this kind of money, it’s Votto, who once battled depression but has turned his life around. He is a positive role model, in an industry that certainly lacks them. Votto’s contract will expire when he’s 38. At this point, it seems unlikely Votto will get the chance to play for the hometown Jays anytime soon.

CONGRATS WILDCATS: The Kentucky Wildcats are National NCAA Champions. Fans celebrated by, uh, burning couches. I never really understood fans that riot after their beloved team wins a championship (not that I approve of rioting after a big loss, you know what I mean). For the most part, I don’t think it’s actually fans that are causing all of the trouble; it’s usually bigots that pathetically see an opportunity to cause havoc. Anyway, it’s too bad these so-called fans weren’t at home on their couches instead of being out burning them.

PIPER’S POINTS: There’s got to be a better way to distribute points in the NHL and perhaps this will be revisited during CBA negotiations this summer. It is worth a closer look with so many great playoff races in the last few years. It’s clear to me; the shootout isn’t going anywhere, because it is a hit with fans. But there’s no way a team should get 2 points in the standings for a SO win. I think it’s time the NHL changes its format; award a team 3 points for a regulation/overtime win and 2 points for a shootout win. Give a single point if you lose in OT/SO.