piper's points

River Kings head coach Al Wager, player Sasha Pokulok and GM Wayne Veary.

The Cornwall River Kings are the city’s newest hockey team – and they’re not wasting any time in bringing big talent to the Seaway Valley.

The River Kings held their first press conference this evening to introduce owner Bernie Villeneuve, director of hockey operations Mitch Gagne, general manager Wayne Veary and head coach/assistant GM Al Wagar.

The team already made a splash in the LNAH, introducing former 1^st round NHL draft pick Sasha Pokulok. The 6-foot-5, 230 lb. defenceman will be the team’s first selection at the LNAH draft on June 16.

The River Kings also unveiled their team colours – they’ll be sporting a retro Cornwall Royals look, with red/white/blue as team colours. The home jersey looks particularly sharp, as the team opted to go with an off-white colour. The team also launched a contest, asking fans and local businesses to help design a logo.

Ticket prices were also announced: Adults will pay $13, while seniors/students will pay $10. Season tickets will be available for $220 (adults) and $185 (seniors/students). Home games will be on Saturday nights.

One big draw at the box office will be Pokulok, who is from Vaudreuil-Dorion and was drafted 14^th overall by the Washington Capitals in the 2005 NHL Draft. He won a gold medal with Team Canada at the 2006 IIHF World Junior Championships.

The 26-year-old has played in the AHL and ECHL and spent the last two seasons in Germany and Croatia. Now, he has the opportunity to play in Quebec’s highest league, and less than an hour away from his family.

“I decided to come back home,” said the towering Pokulok, who is married and has two children. The thought of moving his young family once again wasn’t ideal, thus making Cornwall a perfect fit. “It’s only a 40-45 minute drive from home which is great.”

Pokulok met recently with Cornwall GM Wayne Veary and was quite impressed. “He’s been around the league for nine years so he brings quite a bit of experience,” said Pokulok, who isn’t officially a team member until the draft. “I hope they don’t change their mind,” he joked.

Veary is obviously excited to inherit a team that has made three straight trips to the league final –winning the championship in 2010-11. He even went as far as guaranteeing a championship in Cornwall, perhaps as early as next spring.

“We are going to have a hard-working team,” said Wagar, who announced that his assistant would be former CJHL coach Mike Ruest.

One thing is certain; this will be the highest level of hockey Cornwall fans have seen since the AHL’s Cornwall Aces left town in 1996.  “It’s a great day for the North American Hockey League,” said LNAH president Michel Gaudin.

And it’s a great day for Cornwall hockey fans.

There is plenty of parity in the NHL today, and Stanley Cup finalists New Jersey and Los Angeles are perfect examples of this.

Last season, the Devils finished 11^th in the Eastern Conference. In the off-season, they hired a new coach and came up with a new identity. They rebounded with a 102-point season and here they are, back in the Cup final.

The Kings, meanwhile, are only the second 8^th seed to make the final. With two weeks to go in the regular season, they were actually on the outside looking in.

Now at first glance, you wouldn’t think a No. 6 vs. No. 8 Stanley Cup final would be too exciting. We’ll soon find out, but one thing is for sure; there are plenty of interesting story lines here.

First, of course, is the fact that Los Angeles steamrolled through the No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3 seeds in the Western Conference; they went 12-2 in the process, including an incredible 8-0 on the road. And, they’ll start this series away from Los Angeles as well.

Also interesting is the fact the Devils are the NHL’s single oldest team. They happen to be up against the Kings, who are the league’s fourth youngest team. Oh, and L.A. has played four fewer games.

And you’ve got a classic matchup in goal. Martin Brodeur, 40, going for his fourth Stanley Cup, in which could very well be his last NHL season. At the other end is Jonathan Quick, who almost single handily got the low-scoring Kings into the post-season.

Then, you’ve got a pair of American captains, leading the way for their team. Dustin Brown has been Mr. Everything for L.A. He scores big goals and delivers big hits. The Kings struggled to score in the regular season, but their top line of Brown/Kopitar/Wiliams has been a threat almost every night in the post-season. As for Parise, well he’s simply the heart and soul of the Devils.

Whichever team hoists Lord Stanley will become the highest seed to ever win hockey’s biggest prize. That’s the reality of today’s NHL… you can miss the playoffs one year and be a contender the next.

‘03 DRAFT WAS A GEM: Several first round picks from the 2003 NHL draft will be front and centre in the Stanley Cup final. In ‘03, Jeff Carter (11^th to Philadelphia), Dustin Brown (13^th to Los Angeles), Steve Bernier (16^th to San Jose), Zach Parise (17^th to New Jersey) and Mike Richards (24^th to Philadelphia) were all selected in the first round of that impressive draft. While Bernier never developed into the player many thought he would become, Carter/Brown/Parise/Richards are stars in the NHL.

YOUNG STARS CASHING IN: Even though the Kings are one of the league’s youngest teams, they still have one of the highest payrolls in the NHL. The Kings are 7^th in payroll, as young stars such as Anze Kopitar, 24, and Drew Doughty, 22, are being paid big bucks. Kopitar pocketed $6.4 million this season, while Doughty cashed in $6.0 million. Quick, 26, is set to become an unrestricted free agent after next season and he is sure to get a hefty raise over the $1.7 million he’ll earn in 2012-13.

MICKEY MOUSE NO MORE: Wayne Gretzky will attend the Stanley Cup final in Los Angeles in support of his former team, against a Devils squad that he once called a ‘Mickey Mouse organization’. After a 1983 game in which Edmonton routed New Jersey 13-4, Gretzky was frustrated for his former teammate Ron Low (who was playing for the Devils) and was quoted afterward as saying: “Well, it’s time they got their act together, folks. They’re ruining the whole league. They had better stop running a Mickey Mouse organization and put somebody on ice.” In response, many Devils fans wore Mickey Mouse shirts when Edmonton next played in New Jersey. Gretzky learned his lesson from the incident and very rarely has anything bad to say about anyone since.

GRAPES LOVES HIS BABY BUDS: The Toronto Marlies have advanced to the American Hockey League final, where they will face the Norfolk Admirals beginning Friday night. I can already hear Don Cherry next fall if the Maple Leafs farm team captures the Calder Cup. “Carton Ashton, Joe Colborne, Nazem Kadri… these guys are beauties and let me tell ya somethin’ right now, the Leafs would have made the playoffs with these guys in their lineup. A bunch of good Canadians down there but they’re not good enough for Tarranna (Toronto!).” Gotta love Grapes.

SMART MOVES BY HABS: A week after snagging Rick Dudley from the Maple Leafs, Montreal GM Marc Bergevin has added Scott Mellanby as director of player personnel for the Habs. It’s great to see Montreal hire good hockey people, no matter the language they speak. With Bergevin, Dudley and Mellanby now in place, the Habs can turn their attention to the vacant head coach position. Perhaps the Canadiens are waiting until the Devils are eliminated to speak with assistant coach Larry Robinson.

LAST CALL, THANKFULLY: With E6 vs. W8 in the final, most people have struggled with their playoff predictions this spring and I’m no different. With one series left to call, I’m 7-7 so far. I’m going with Los Angeles. How can you bet against the Kings, who demolished the Top 3 seeds in the West? They’re younger, faster and bigger than the Devils. Kings in 6.

PIPER’S POINTS: The NHL isn’t the only pro hockey league with parity these days. Cornwall fans will be treated to a league with plenty of balance when the LNAH comes to town in the fall. The top team in the regular season finished with 61 points last season, while the last-place team was only 16 points back at 45. The seven-team league plays a 48-game schedule. Last year, only two points separated second from fifth place.

rodwilson@gmail.com
Follow me on Twitter: @piperspoints

Even though Martin Brodeur turned 40 this month, he’s going toe-to-toe with arguably the NHL’s best goaltender – Henrik Lundqvist of the New York Rangers.

And wouldn’t you know it; Brodeur is hanging in there with the King.

Before the playoffs began, not many would have thought the New Jersey Devils goaltender had another deep run left in him. Brodeur had two straight mediocre regular seasons by his standards. Yet, here they are in Round 3, and now only one win away from the Stanley Cup final.

Brodeur, who is 11-5 in the playoffs with a 2.04 GAA, has allowed 10 goals in the conference final so far, the same amount as Lundqvist, who is in his prime and is ten years younger than Brodeur at 30.

The three-time Cup winner (1995, 2000, 2003) has also chipped in with four assists in these playoffs, as the Devils continue to surprise many.

Read on to see who I think is the best goalie of all time.

WE’RE NUMBER 5!: Canada is just hanging on to the No. 5 spot in the men’s hockey world ranking. Russia is the top hockey nation in the world right now, fresh off their win at the World Championship last week. Finland, the Czech Republic and Sweden are also ahead of Canada. Slovakia and the United States are right behind Canada. What is the main difference between Canada and Russia? Come time for the World’s in May, Canada’s best players stay home (Sidney Crosby, Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Toews), while Russia’s top players go compete for their country (Evgeni Malkin, Alex Ovechkin, Pavel Datsyuk).

KINGS A STAPLE IN L.A.: The Kings are off to the Stanley Cup final and they are also the last team standing at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, after both the Lakers and Clippers were tossed aside in their respective NBA Western Conference semi-finals. The Staples Centre hosted an incredible six playoff games in a four-day span that ended last weekend. Meanwhile, the LA Dodgers are off to a sizzling start; they have the best record in all of MLB.

CAN LA STOP TREND?: The Los Angeles Kings become only the fourth NHL team to start the playoffs 11-1, since four series wins were needed to win the Stanley Cup. But, the last three teams to accomplish this however, all lost in the Stanley Cup final – including most recently the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2008. The New York Islanders (1983) and the Detroit Red Wings (1995) are the other two teams that started red-hot but couldn’t finish. The Montreal Canadiens, by the way, won the Cup in 1968 and 1976, going 12-1 both times.

PARISE MAKING RANGERS PAY: I remember the 2003 NHL Draft, hearing TSN analyst Pierre McGuire go nuts as Zach Parise’s name went uncalled until mid-way through the first round. The Devils would end up snatching Parise 17^th overall. The New York Rangers had their chance with the 12^th overall pick, but they chose Darthmouth’s Hugh Jessiman instead. That pick was obviously a bust as Jessiman is currently playing in the AHL for the Abbotsford Heat. The right winger, who hails from New York City, has played a total of two NHL games. Parise, meanwhile, is set to become one of the most sought-after free agents this summer. The 27-year-old is an unrestricted free agent as of July 1.

CRAZY COACHES: The battle of the Hudson is as intense as ever and the coaches certainly don’t like each other very much. John Tortorella and Peter Deboer have rekindled their animosity from the regular season. Only NBC analyst Pierre McGuire and Glenn Healey of the CBC stood in between the coaches during a shouting match in Game 4. I think the NJ/NYR coach’s rivalry has surpassed that of Dan Bylsma (Pittsburgh) and Peter Laviolette (Philadelphia). Deboer has the size advantage over Tortorella, but the Rangers coach is as feisty as they come – with the media anyway.

WHEELS IMPRESSES IN DEBUT: Congrats to Cornwall’s Corey Wheeler, who won his first feature at the Cornwall Motor Speedway in his new division. Wheeler, who finished second in point in the Pro Stocks the last two years, has successfully moved up to the Sportsman division. Wheeler took the checkered flag at the Speedway’s opening night. He will no longer have to deal with Joey Ladouceur, who has dominated the Pro Stock division in recent summers.

VIZQUEL WORKING ON 3K: Toronto Blue Jays veteran, and Future Hall-of-Famer, Omar Vizquel is closing in on a milestone. Vizquel, who is more known for his incredible defence – he has an amazing 11 Gold Gloves – is only 157 hits shy of 3,000 for his career. Unless the Jays run into some injury problems though, the 44-year-old would be lucky to get in 157 at bats this season however.

HIGH STAKES FOR I’LL HAVE ANOTHER: Canadian owned I’ll Have Another certainly has the world’s attention now. After winning the Kentucky Derby, I’ll Have Another followed that up with a come-from-behind victory at the Preakness Stakes last weekend. Now, the racing world turns its attention to the Belmont Stakes, which will be held on June 9. With a win there, I’ll Have Another would become the first horse to win the Triple Crown since Affirmed did it in 1978. The horse is currently a 1.70 to 1 favourite.

PIPER’S POINT: Who is the greatest goalie of all time? Brodeur or Patrick Roy? Brodeur is 656-371-36 with a 2.23 goals against average in 18 NHL regular seasons. He is 109-87 in the playoffs with a 2.00 GAA. He has 3 Cup rings, 2 Olympic Gold Medals and 4 Vezinas. Roy was 551-315 with a 2.54 GAA in 19 seasons. He was 151-94 in the post-season with a 2.30 GAA. Roy captured 4 Cups, 3 Vezinas and 3 Conn Smythe Trophy’s as playoff MVP. There’s no wrong answer here, but I think Roy’s superior winning percentage in the playoffs coupled with his 3 Conn Smythe Trophy’s gives him the slight edge at this point. But, if Brodeur can capture the Cup at the age of 40, and perhaps win his first Conn Smythe this June, I might have to change my mind on this one.

The LNAH is coming to town next fall, and for local hockey fans, it will be a chance to see some familiar faces on home ice.

Imagine watching Cornwall’s own Jeff Legue or former Colt sniper Eric Meloche skating for the hometown team once again.

Cornwall has its share of talented players who are currently winding down their careers in pro leagues across the U.S. and overseas. Others are wrapping up their junior careers and are looking for a place to play. Now, they have the option to come home and play professional hockey.

The LNAH consists mainly of former QMJHL skaters; however the league will allow Cornwall a certain amount of former OHL or CCHL players. Those specifics will be decided soon.

The Windsor Wild will be moving to Cornwall for the 2012-13 season. Mitch Gagne is the director of hockey operations and former Colts owner Al Wagar will coach and be an assistant general manager.

Both will have a great influence on bringing high-end talent to the Seaway Valley. While Gagne, Wagar and Co. have their wish list, here are a few players that I believe could be a good fit:

Jeff Legue, 30: The Cornwall native just finished his fifth season with the Sheffield Steelers of the Elite Ice Hockey League in the UK. Last season was Legue’s most productive; he scored 34 goals and added 47 assists for 81 points in 54 games. Legue would certainly draw local fans to the Ed Lumley arena.

Eric Meloche, 36: Meloche is actually in the LNAH already. He played last season for St. Georges. He had 41 points in 44 games. You’d have to think that Cornwall would make an attempt to acquire Meloche, who would also put a few extra spectators in the stands.

Brennan Barker, 26: After four seasons at the University of Alabama-Huntsville, the Long Sault native suited up for the Tulsa Oilers of the Central Hockey League. The rugged defenceman had 7 points and 122 penalty minutes in 59 games. He’d be a perfect fit in this league.

Ian Boots, 25: The former Colts sniper played the last two seasons for SUNY-Oswego after playing for Ohio State University in 2008-09 and 2009-10. He had 13 goals and 15 assists for 28 points in 30 games last season.

Jeff Winchester, 30: The former Cornwall Colt was a star defenceman in the Federal Hockey League last season in which he won a championship with New Jersey. The year before, he played pro hockey in the Netherlands.

Andrew Schembri, 29: The former Colt suited up for the Deggendorf Fire of the German Premier League last season. He had 25 goals, 39 assists for 64 points in 33 games. The season before, the Mississauga native played in the Netherlands.

Jonathan Jasper, 20: The former Cornwall Colts defencemen just finished his overage season with the Peterborough Petes in the Ontario Hockey League. It was Jasper’s third and final season in the OHL. The 6’3” 200-lb. Williamstown native collected 10 assists in 49 games.

WINDSOR LOSES FINAL: Cornwall will be taking over a pretty good team in the Windsor Wild, which has made it all the way to the league final the last three seasons. Windsor fell in six games to Thetford in the LNAH final this year. Last season, Windsor was playoff champions. Meanwhile, the organization has apparently decided on a team name and it will be revealed at an upcoming press conference.

BROWN LEADING THE WAY: All the talk has been about goaltenders in these NHL playoffs, but my choice for the Conn Smythe Trophy (playoff MVP) at this point would have to be Dustin Brown of the Los Angeles Kings. The LA captain has done everything for his team: He has 7 goals and 7 assists in the Kings first 11 playoff games. He has three game-winning goals and two shorthanded markers. Oh, and the power forward also leads the team with 51 hits.

CARTER DEAL PAYING OFF: The Los Angeles Kings took a big risk at the trade deadline, acquiring Jeff Carter and his long-term deal from the Columbus Blue Jackets for defenceman Jack Johnson and a 1^st round draft pick. Carter is finally paying off for the red-hot Kings after scoring a natural hat trick in Game 2 of the Western Conference final. Carter hasn’t been overly productive for LA in the playoffs, but he definitely gives the Kings three good centres along with Mike Richards and Jarret Stoll.

TORTS ACT TIRING: I get that New York Rangers coach John Tortorella doesn’t think (or won’t admit) that his team is tired at the halfway point of the playoffs. But if the Rangers are pushed to a third seven-game series in a row (and assuming they actually get past the Devils) they will be at a disadvantage in the Stanley Cup final, whether Torts wants to admit it or not. Especially if they are matched up with probable Western Conference champs Los Angeles, which is steamrolling through its competition.

JAYS FLYING LOW: With their recent slump, the Blue Jays are hovering around the .500 mark. In a 162-game season, there will be plenty of ups and downs, but one thing is for sure, if Toronto is to compete for a playoff berth, they have to be much better against their own division. After being swept in a two-game mini-series vs. Tampa Bay earlier this week, the Jays were an awful 4-10 against AL East rivals.

PIPER’S POINT: Henrik Lundqvist may be the Rangers MVP, but he sure is getting a lot of help from his teammates in the playoffs. Rangers defencemen Dan Girardi leads all players with 52 blocked shots through 15 games. Teammate Ryan McDonagh is second with 42. Rangers captain Ryan Callahan leads all forwards with 26.

rodwilson@gmail.com
Twitter: @piperspoints

What the Los Angeles Kings are accomplishing in these NHL playoffs is simply amazing.

After taking out the No. 1 seeded Vancouver Canucks in five games, then sweeping the No. 2 ranked St. Louis Blues, Los Angeles now has the opportunity to eliminate the No. 3 seeded Phoenix Coyotes.

No team has ever done that.

The Kings run reminds of what the Montreal Canadiens did in the spring of 2010. The 8^th seeded Habs upset the Presidents’ Trophy winning Washington Capitals in the first round (Washington had finished with 33 more points than Montreal), and then they shocked the defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins in Round 2. Montreal ran out of gas however and was ousted in five games by the Philadelphia Flyers in the conference final

But the big difference is that the Habs won both of those series in seven games. Los Angeles is an incredible 8-1 in these playoffs. They have barely broken a sweat yet so you’d have to say that Jonathan Quick and the Kings are the favourites vs. the Coyotes.

Then again they’re up against a Phoenix team that has a red-hot goaltender themselves in Mike Smith. And the Coyotes have ousted two 100-point teams in Chicago (101) and Nashville (104). For the third straight round in fact, I’m betting against Phoenix.

Remarkably, both the Kings and Coyotes were out of the playoff picture with only three weeks to go in the regular season. Either way, one of these two teams will compete for their very first Stanley Cup.

COYOTES A HOWLIN’: Dave Tippett is doing an incredible job with what he has been given in Phoenix; mainly players that weren’t wanted elsewhere. GM Don Maloney has picked up pieces here and there: Antoine Vermette, Daymond Langkow, Gilbert Brule and Michal Rozsival to name a few. Of course the biggest move Maloney made was signing unrestricted free agent Mike Smith to a two-year deal last July 1. Through two rounds, Smith has a GAA of 1.77 and an out-of-this-world save percentage of .948.

ANOTHER VICTIM IN PHILLY: Do you think the Philadelphia Flyers are second-guessing their decision to sign goalie Ilya Bryzgalov to a nine-year deal last summer? No city, not even Toronto, is this hard on goaltenders. Bryzgalov, after two great seasons in Phoenix, seemed like a sure bet for Philly, but he was mediocre in the regular season and he had a 3.46 GAA in the playoffs. That number is inflated because of the high-scoring series with Pittsburgh, but Bryzgalov never made the big save against the Devils in Round 2 and gave up far too many weak goals. Perhaps the Russian goalie should spend less time thinking about the universe.

ALFIE SHOULD RETIRE: I have to admit, I never was a big fan of Daniel Alfredsson. However, that all changed this season, which was a dream one for the Ottawa Senators captain. I admire what he accomplished as a 39-year-old. Not only did he score 27 goals and 32 assists, he led the rebuilding Sens to an unlikely spot in the playoffs. And he was a captain at the All Star Game, which was played in Ottawa. All too often, we see veterans play one or two years too many. Injury problems slowed Alfie down the year before; he scored 31 points in only 54 games. He redeemed himself this year but can he do it again as a 40-year-old? I don`t think so. It’s time for Alfredsson to retire, on a high note.

DOES AGE MATTER?: The Devils are the oldest team in the entire NHL with an average age of 29.9. Goaltenders Martin Brodeur (40) and Johan Hedberg (39) certainly bring that number up. Phoenix is the 7^th oldest team (28.6), Washington is 11^th (28.1) and the Rangers are 21^st (26.9). On the other end is Los Angeles, which is the fourth youngest team (26.6).

PUJOLS SNAPS SKID: Albert Pujols finally hit his first home run of the season last weekend against Toronto. Pujols hadn’t homered in 33 games, dating back to last year. It was the longest drought of his career. Pujols, who signed a 10-year $250 million deal in the off season, has struggled in his first year with the Los Angeles Angels. Through his first 31 games, the future hall of famer’s batting average is .198.

LIND STRUGGLES CONTINUE: Speaking of struggling, you have to wonder how long before the Toronto Blue Jays give up on first baseman Adam Lind. After belting 35 homers and 114 RBI with a batting average of .305 in 2009, Lind has averaged 25 homers, 80 RBI and a .244 batting average in the two seasons since. This year, he’s off to a slow start again, batting .198 through his first 28 games with 3 HR and 10 RBI. If the Jays are to contend, they need more production from the first-base position.

NASH A CLASS ACT: Canadian basketball star Steve Nash accepted the general manager position with the national men’s senior team this week. Nash, who is a free agent this summer and will likely return for at least one more NBA season, is taking on this challenging role, which is a non-paying job. The classy Canadian is a great leader and he will pour his heart and soul into a program that has given him so much. It sure would be nice to see Nash finish his career in Toronto with the Raptors, although he’d have to forget about his dream to win an NBA championship.

LNAH FINAL ALL SQUARE: The LNAH championship is down to a best-of-three and it will be decided this weekend. Windsor and Thetford are all square at 2-2. Game 5 went Thursday night in Thetford. Game 6 is in Windsor on Friday and a deciding seventh game, if necessary, would be played on Sunday back in Thetford.

PIPER’S POINT: Playoff poolies have been puzzled through two rounds. I’m running a playoff pool in which you choose any 16 players and I’ve never seen anything like this: There are 30 guys in this pool and the average remaining players per entry is incredibly 2.4! As far as predictions go, I’ll take Los Angeles over Phoenix and the winner of Washington/New York over New Jersey.

rodwilson@gmail.com
Twitter: @piperspoints

Heading into the playoffs, the Nashville Predators were the NHL’s most improved team – at least on paper.

At the trade deadline, the Preds seemed to be the big winners; adding Andrei Kostistyn and Hal Gill from Montreal and Paul Gaustad from Buffalo. Then, just before the playoffs began, they welcomed back Alexander Radulov from the KHL.

But after Kostistyn and Radulov were suspended by the team this week, you have to wonder if GM David Poile did more harm than good with some of those moves.

Every year, NHL teams take some risks at the trade deadline, adding players for a stretch run. Sometimes, those moves make general managers look like geniuses. But many GM’s will take a pass on a player, because of the fear he could mess with team chemistry.

The Preds were already a playoff team, and with four good players added to their roster, they were set for quite possibly a long run, deep into spring. But we don’t always know what’s going on in the dressing room and behind the scenes.

This week, when the duo reportedly missed curfew, Poile was forced to make a difficult decision in sitting the star players. It was a risky call, especially considering his team was trailing the Phoenix Coyotes 2-0 in the Western Conference semi-final.

Nashville responded with a win over Phoenix in Game 3, to get back into the series. Poile and the Predators meanwhile, proved once again that they’re not afraid to make a bold move.

HABS GET THEIR MAN: After a month-long search for their 17^th general manager, the Montreal Canadiens hired Marc Bergevin this week. It was a circus season in Montreal to say the least, so it’s nice to see the Habs getting back to their classy ways. For the most part, the entire hiring process was kept confidential and low key. Now that the Habs have a GM, the focus will switch to the head coach position. Bergevin has already moved interim coach Randy Cunneyworth back to his original post as an assistant coach. Whether or not he will remain with the team would likely depend on who is named head coach.

SUSPENDED SAINTS: Linebacker Jonathan Vilma is the latest New Orleans Saint to be suspended without pay, as he will miss the entire 2012 season for taking part in the team’s bounty system. I’m glad NFL commissioner Roger Goodell came down hard on the Saints as a team, but I don’t know if individual players should be singled out and penalized so harshly. It makes me think of when I hear someone get upset with a player who agrees to a 10-year $250 million contract. You can’t blame the player for taking the deal! But, this bounty system problem comes down to one thing that seems to be missing in pro sports nowadays: respect. And the NFL is doing what it can to protect its players right now.

SEAU SUICIDE SHOCKING: Twelve-time Pro Bowler Junior Seau committed suicide this week, sadly adding his name to a long list of former athletes who have taken their own life in recent years. Seau was 43. Before anyone judges Seau, they should really try to put themselves in the shoes of a former pro athlete. Can you imagine being THE MAN throughout high school, then being THE MAN throughout college, then spending the next 20 years as THE MAN in the NFL. Then, all of a sudden, you are in your forties and it’s all over. You don’t know what to do anymore. You’re no longer THE MAN, the star. You can say all you want that these athletes are spoiled rotten, but they’re human beings who sacrifice their body for years and years. Then, when it’s all over, they have so many mental issues to deal with. Unfortunately, Seau is just the latest victim. While the NHL, MLB, NBA and NFL player unions do have programs in place to help retired athletes cope with change, the time is now for the leagues to all come together and share ideas that could save lives in the future.

WILD LOOKING FOR REPEAT: The Windsor Wild is only two wins away from repeating as LNAH champs. Windsor leads Thetford 2-0 in the best-of-seven final. Game 3 is Friday night in Thetford-Mines, QC.

PIPER’S POINTS: My pick for the Habs GM position was Pierre McGuire, who was reportedly the runner-up for the job. As for the coaching position, you have to think that with a rookie general manager, the Habs will likely go with an experienced coach. Bob Hartley or Marc Crawford could likely be the next bench boss in Montreal.

rodwilson@gmail.com
@piperspoints