From the outside looking in, fixing the NHL's head-shot problem seems easy enough: just ban headshots; who can't agree on that? Then you read Eric Lindros' comments, about how some NHL players will target guys they know have had concussion problems and you realize that maybe you don't understand this subject at all. We've got that, the Carmelo Anthony bombshell that does not involve him actually being traded and yes, we'll touch on the Flames/Leafs, who lost 13-0 last night, while giving credit to Rafael Nadal, talent scout; please read on.
1. Eric Lindros' cautionary tale:
Head's up work by Jeff Blair here as he seeks out Lindros as someone who has a little insight into what Sidney Crosby is going through and – more importantly – what he may go through yet. It isn't pretty: "What happens is you get tagged as being concussion prone, and there's a huge decline in the respect you get because of it," Lindros said in a telephone interview on Wednesday. "It's people trying to make their name, you know? It's little things that occur after the play, like when it switches out of the corner and the play goes up the ice and you're spinning around heading back up to back check and – bam! You know … where they kind of catch you."
Is culture change coming to the NHL as a result of Crosby's concussion? Or could it be that the only thing that has now happened is that Crosby has just had a target put on his back for the rest of his career? ...So let's see what happens the first time Crosby is back on the ice and in a vulnerable position, with some rock-head circling. "Guys take liberties," Lindros said matter-of-factly.
2. Nets grow backbone; tell Anthony and Nuggets to forget it.
When the discussion turns to why MLSE can't put together teams that win at some point ownership always comes up. The reality is the franchise(s) are well owned: they have lots of resources and they have hired people with pretty good track records to manage their teams. But what's missing, in my opinion, is that person at the top who can really set the agenda; who can define a clear path to a goal and act boldly and decisively to get there, regardless of risks.
You know what that person looks like? It looks like New Jersey Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov, who has been watching the Carmelo Anthony trade circus from afar and decided he'd had enough of life as a poker chip; came to New Jersey and told the rest of the NBA to go stuff themselves and taken full accountability for it. Pretty cool: "I am not happy with the way this deal has gone until now," Prokhorov said. "It has taken too long. It has been played out in public. The uncertainty has taken a toll on the players. I believe that has cost us several games. I think the management of the team did a great job but there comes a time when the price is simply too expensive. I'm instructing our team to walk away from the deal and the meeting which was supposed to be held by our management tomorrow in Denver with Carmelo is hereby cancelled."
"The decision to walk away is my own decision. I'm not day-to-day with the team. Being one step removed from the day-to-day business gives me a clear understanding, a clear view of what was needed to be done."
3. Oh my Gustavsson:
The other day The Monster sounded positively optimistic at the prospect of taking to the crease for the first time in two weeks. "No, it's not frustrating," Gustavsson said. "I don't feel sorry for myself that I haven't been playing. It's more like I want to work even harder to be ready for my next game."
Well, how did that work out?
Let's see: The Leafs lost 7-0 to the New York Rangers, Gustavsson was pulled after giving up four goals in five minutes midway through the first period and that was pretty much it. Over to Mirtle: Expected to be improved this season, the Leafs goaltending has instead proven a major weakness, one getting more pronounced as Gustavsson unravels in the crease.
The lanky goalie known as The Monster now has a 3-7-0 record, 4.14 goals-against average and .861 save percentage in his last 10 starts dating back to being pulled from a 5-0 loss against the Edmonton Oilers at the start of December.
"It was not the game I wanted to play tonight," Gustavsson said. "Seven to nothing, of course I'm not happy with that.
"I know for myself that I can play good at this level. I know our team is good, too. It's just about keep going hard and you never know. Sooner or later those games are going to come where you feel good and you get those pucks on you and you have a couple good games in a row.
"Of course you're not happy right now, that's the way it is in hockey. It's ups and downs and you try to keep the short and the ups longer. And that's what I'm trying to do."
4. Leaf fans speak -- It's not pretty:
Among the 241 comments attached to our Leafs story when I logged on to my computer in the wee hours of the morning was Thames Sailor's (real name? Clever screen name? Discuss) rather elegent open letter to Brian Burke in which he makes clear that blame for this debacle should be shared widely and calls for pretty much everyone to be taken behind the proverbial barn and – if not shot – at least chastised in no uncertain terms. But then he gets to his ageing cat and Mike Komisarek and you're not sure who you feel worse for, the cat or Komisarek: For Mike Komisarek, keep him behind the barn and ask him for his sweater back. I have a cat that is 14 years old and has no teeth and drools, and we have the choice of putting it on old useless cloths to try and be comfortable on or take it to the vets for one last time, and it occurs to me that Komisarek's sweater would find a much higher and greater use as a cushion for this cat than being worn by this player in another Maple Leaf game. You undertook a noble experiment in trying to salvage his career, Mr. Burke. Unfortunately it failed. Take him out of the uniform now, and permanently.
5. Leaf fans, you are not alone:
You know you're having a rough patch when the headline writers start coming up with unflattering puns for you. In the case of Calgary Flames goalie Miikka Kiprusoff, the man in the nets for the Flames' 6-0 home loss to Minnesota last night it's now KIpper-soft: Long before his was the first name called as part of the starting lineup introductions, it was obvious all eyes would be on Miikka Kiprusoff last night.However, just six minutes in, all eyes quickly shifted to the Flames bench, looking to see if Henrik Karlsson would be summoned to try cleaning up Kipper's mess for the third time in eight days.Yes, it was another bad start by the struggling veteran, leading to yet another Flames loss.For those keeping score at home that's his third poor start in his last four outings, ending in another defeat.The fact that he wasn't pulled doesn't mean he's making any progress.In years past this was the type of evening Kiprusoff lived for: A goaltender's duel against a fellow Finn with a reputation for being equally as stingy.But for the fourth time this year, it's a battle with Niklas Backstrom that found Kiprusoff on the losing side despite the fact the Wild netminder is no longer one of the game's elite 'keepers and his club isn't much of a threat to any team outside of Calgary. In that once classic tete-a-tete Kiprusoff has allowed 15 goals, Backstrom three.
6. Rafael Nadal: talent scout:
Here's what the No.1 player in the game had to say about Canada's Australian Open sensation Milos Raonic after the two played in October in the second round of the Japan Open. Raonic lost in straight sets (6-4, 6-4). but not before drilling Nadal for 14 aces and winning 30 of 35 points on his first serve, causing Nadal to observe: "He's a very good player. He's got a great future, "Nadal said. "He's very aggressive and very young. His serve is unbelievable. He can do some things to improve how he plays the point after his serve. I think tennis is going to get better and better there [in Canada] because of him. I'm not sure when, but he is going to be in one of the top positions."
Flash forward to the Australian Open and the 21-year-old is on a roll, becoming the first Canadian man to advance to the third round of a Grand Slam in 10 years: Before I came here, obviously I wasn't thinking this far ahead. But going day into day, seeing how stuff progressed — how I was playing better after the first week of the year — it's not really a surprise," Raonic said. Raonic, playing in just his second major tournament, will next face the winner from a match between 10th-seeded Russian Mikhail Youzhny and Slovenian Blaz Kavcic. [he will play Youshny] .As in his first match — another straight-sets win — Raonic stuck to the game plan drilled into him by Spanish coach Galo Blanco, refusing to become rattled or hurried and working his strong points. "Again, I was able to take care of my serve, like my last match, and I was able to use my opportunities on his (serve)," Raonic said.
7. The Great debate: which is a better football day – Championship Sunday or Super Bowl Sunday?
For me it's not much of a contest: you have a way better chance of seeing at least one classic game on Championship Sunday that Super Bowl Sunday. Here's a breakdown from Shutdown Corner:
Championship Sunday:
• Two games are better than one.
• The week-long attention and hype is ramped up, but nowhere near the level of Super Bowl week. It stays at a level that allows the attention to remain on actual football. It feels way more pure.
• On Monday, you will not have to listen to Judy in Human Resources give you her opinion on why the coach should have run "the play where they throw it for a touchdown pass" on a fourth and 19 deep in his own territory.
• Championship Sunday is not accompanied by the nagging feeling that this is the last football you're going to see for a while, so you better enjoy it.
• A blowout can ruin Super Bowl Sunday, but if there's a blowout on Championship Sunday, it serves to boost a team's reputation heading into the Super Bowl. Sort of like how the WWE will have the challenger absolutely destroy some guy in a match shortly before WrestleMania.
Super Bowl Sunday:
• It is the game that crowns the champion. Champions are what we remember.
• No one will ever give you a hard time for watching the Super Bowl. You are expected to watch this game, even if it doesn't involve your favorite team.
• Not only are you expected to watch, but chances are, if you're at any kind of Super Bowl party, random people will have prepared and/or purchased food for you to eat during the game. That's kind of nice.
• The Puppy Bowl is the most adorable thing that's ever been on television. Don't fight it.
• There will be no part of the game -- from the frivolous fluff stories to the minute football details like the left guard's hand placement -- uncovered in the pregame hype. Any information you want will be available to you.
Thoughts?