Week 9 – The Secret to Orv’s Success

THE WEEK THAT WAS

• Congrats to Orv and his Sandwich Maker who, this past week, finally got married in Sexico after 25 years of living together. Apparently, they only recently found out that the “ceremony” they went through a quarter of a century ago was just part of a school play they were both in.
• Speaking of Orv, he had the 4th lowest points this past week but still went 3-0. First time that’s ever happened… I think.
• Also, Orv jumped up from 11th to 8th. Just goes to show that Orv excels when he’s either out the country or just leaves his roster alone.
• Fulty had 47 points this week, which is usually good for the best week but…
• T-Man had a huge week (57 points) on the back of Huberdeau (9), Marner (8), and Wheeler (7)
• T-Man keep rolling along. 10-2 in the past month.
• After a 10-2 run, Vinny is 1-8 in the past 3 weeks.
• After a hot start, EZ has gone cold winning only 1 game in the past month (1-9-2)
• R&S traded the Week 8 pick up & a 4th to Cordy for Daniel Sprong and C’s 4th.
• Cordy revives his man-crush on ‘yotes goalie Adin Hill by grabbing him with the pick-up. Cordy drafted him this Sept in the 5th round, released him in November, and grabbed him again on Sunday. He hasn’t shown this sort of dedication to a prospect since the days of Robbie Schremp.
• R&S get the Week 9 pick-up as a “3” was rolled in the lotto.

STANDINGS

	WEEK	9				This Week
TEAM	G	W	L	T	PTS	W	L	T	PWk	TP	AVG	%
T	27	21	5	1	43	3	0	0	57	321	35.7	0.796
F	27	20	7	0	40	3	0	0	47	323	35.9	0.741
C	27	17	9	1	35	0	2	1	37	315	35.0	0.648
G	27	17	9	1	35	3	0	0	40	303	33.7	0.648
D	27	15	11	1	31	1	2	0	38	304	33.8	0.574
H	27	15	11	1	31	2	0	1	33	279	31.0	0.574
V	27	14	13	0	28	0	3	0	27	261	29.0	0.519
O	27	12	14	1	25	3	0	0	27	245	27.2	0.463
R	27	11	14	2	24	1	1	1	37	271	30.1	0.444
E	27	11	14	2	24	2	1	0	27	270	30.0	0.444
Z	27	10	14	3	23	1	2	0	25	252	28.0	0.426
S	27	9	16	2	20	0	2	1	33	231	25.7	0.370
J	27	5	21	1	11	0	3	0	19	214	23.8	0.204
&	27	3	22	2	8	0	3	0	27	198	22.0	0.148

SHRAPNEL

Check out the Victoria Royals viral header video. Where’s Griffey?

A Bob Probert documentary is coming out next year. Click below for the trailer.

I can’t even play a single round with one ball!

Poor Michael Grabner took Sammy Blais’ stick in the eye on Saturday. Yeesh!

Hopefully, there’s no permanent damage.

UNTIL NEXT WEEK…

Got time for a good long read? (or you can just look at the pictures)

Three Feet From God: An Oral History of Nirvana ‘Unplugged’
Twenty-five years after the historic performance that became the band’s best-selling final album, we talked to producers, directors, musicians, and fans present for Kurt Cobain and Nirvana’s greatest performance

Week 3 Update

RAMBLINGS

• Cordy & Fulty tie for the Big Week with 37
• Cordy’s in first at 8-0, Fulty also undefeated at 7-0-1
• Derko & GoJo went 3-0
• Stifler has the stinky week with 13
• JBR leads the “Great Auston Matthews Turtle Race” with an 0-9 record
• JBR grabbed Tobias Reider AZ with the pick up
• Week 3 pick up went to a Lottery – JBR got #1,2,3 – Durand got 4,5 – Haukster got #6 — and a “4” was rolled so Stifler gets this week’s pick-up
• Cut-Down Day is Nov 1. Make sure you know the rules/age limits for prospects, etc…

OTHER RAMBLINGS

The Canadian Election is over and we are now blessed to have a drama teacher leading our country. Yes, a “drama teacher.” Bad enough we elected a “teacher,” but a “DRAMA TEACHER?” These are the people who never attend staff meetings unless they need to bitch about who borrowed the box set of Downton Abbey; or that they’re feeling “harassed” because the Chemistry teacher in the room beside them asks if the drama kids could “keep it down a bit” during “Primal Scream Therapy” sessions. C’mon Canada! In what important sector of Canadian society would we say, “We could have a lawyer or an economist lead our organization, but I think it’s time we tried the drama teacher. Oh, and he was also a rafting instructor and camp counselor. Sounds like the perfect leader.”

Oh well, to be fair, it was time for a change and we will see what the future brings. Besides, his father was pseudo-smart. A having a smart daddy who once was a leader has gotta count for something. No?

Rant over…

Blue Jays are done and we can now forget about that distraction called baseball, unless you’re a fan of The Simpsons & The World Series? Check out the ad below.

OFHL TROPHIES

Derko forgot to bring the OFHL Championship trophy to the draft, but he did present it to Fulty at Horty’s last week. Here Fulty celebrates in his typical “low-key” style.

Fulty rockin’ the two-tone pjs

But it will take Fulty a while to get as many titles as Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Worst twitter response, “Is that little green belt the one he used to beat his wife?”

Ever feel bad when your team does an embarrassing screw-up? Check out the 20 WORST PLAYS IN SPORT. Consider Derkos’ collapse in 2008 wedged in there between Greg Norman’s 1996 Masters collapse at #8 and Bayern Munich’s 3 minutes of hell in the 1999 Champions League final (to ManU supporters, this was more of an epic comeback than a Bayern collapse.)

The Kids Are Alright – This year ranks as one of the best rookie classes in a while. Here, SI ranks the NHL’S 10 GREATEST ROOKIE CLASSES SINCE EXPANSION

Here’s another ranking. TOP 30 NHL PLAY-BY-PLAY ANNOUNCERS. ‘Nucks Shorthouse came in at 19. Thanks alot, John Garrett.

THEY HATE US CUZ THEY ANUS — Need another reason to love Evander Kane? The guy takes a helicopter to the Jays-Royals game 3.

Another lovable guy…. Torts is back in the league with the CBJs. If you forgot about him, here’s a nice reminder.

POTW

Habs, Habs, Habs…

They’re the hottest team in the league, had last week’s POTW and have two players tie for the honor this week. PK and Markov each had 7 points.

Weird Russians

In NHL gossip news……More kudos to last weeks’ POTW. He’s going to be a daddy.

Oh, and he also donated thousands of dollars of equipment to WLMHA. CBC.ca Good kid; Good kid.

STANDINGS

TEAM	G	W	L	T	PTS	PWk	TP	AVG	%
Cordy	8	8	0	0	16	37	106	35.3	1.000
Fulty	8	7	0	1	15	37	94	31.3	0.938
Derko	8	6	1	1	13	31	74	24.7	0.813
GoJo	8	6	2	0	12	29	87	29.0	0.750
Rolphy	8	5	3	0	10	30	70	23.3	0.625
Orv	8	4	3	1	9	24	74	24.7	0.563
Vinny	8	4	4	0	8	21	77	25.7	0.500
Erty	8	4	4	0	8	33	65	21.7	0.500
eZ	9	3	5	1	7	15	64	21.3	0.389
T-Man	9	3	6	0	6	27	80	26.7	0.333
Haukster	9	1	8	0	2	25	62	20.7	0.111
Stifler	8	1	7	0	2	13	51	17.0	0.125
JBR	9	0	9	0	0	15	49	16.3	0.000

Random Stuff

Time for some fishing.

Carey Price was the big winner at the NHL Awards Night.

Carey Price of the Montreal Canadiens poses with, from left, the William M. Jennings trophy, the Vezina Trophy, the Ted Lindsay Award trophy and the Art Ross trophy after winning the awards at the NHL Awards show Wednesday, June 24, 2015, in Las Vegas. Missing: THE DERKO CUP 2014-15

The Women’s World Cup team from Norway is a disgrace! Here’s why (with subtitles)

Sports on Earth ranked the NHL’s Most Tortured Fans. Listed here are the Top 10 & Canadian markets.

21. Montreal Canadiens (Stanley Cup Final appearances: 29. Stanley Cup wins: 22. Most recent title: 1993.)

They are the most successful franchise in NHL history, even if much of that success happened many decades ago. Since their 1970s dynasty, they’ve won two Cups, in 1986 and 1993 — not amazing, but not too bad either.

18. Winnipeg Jets (Stanley Cup Final appearances: 0. Stanley Cup wins: 0.)

The franchise has never won a playoff game, let alone a series, even dating back to their days in Atlanta. But the Jets (well, this iteration of the Jets, at least) have only been in town since 2011, so their current fans haven’t had much time to suffer. Frankly, hockey fans in Winnipeg were so happy for the NHL to return after the original Jets moved to Phoenix that it will be a while before they can be considered truly tortured.

14. Edmonton Oilers (Stanley Cup Final appearances: 7. Stanley Cup wins: 5. Most recent title: 1990)

Boy, do their glory days feel like a long time ago. The past decade has been especially painful: Since their unexpected run to the Final in 2006, they haven’t returned to the postseason, and have finished last in five out of nine seasons. There’s reason for hope: Connor McDavid.

12. Calgary Flames (Stanley Cup Final appearances: 3. Stanley Cup wins: 1. Most recent title: 1989.)

They won the only championship in franchise history in 1989, but they have had a couple of particularly bad dry spells since, missing the playoffs seven straight years in the ’90s and ’00s, then again for five consecutive seasons before getting in as a surprise playoff team this year.

10. Ottawa Senators (Stanley Cup Final appearances: 1. Stanley Cup wins: 0.)

They’ve yet to win a Cup, and only once have reached the Final.

9. Florida Panthers (Stanley Cup Final appearances: 1. Stanley Cup wins: 0.)

The Panthers joined the NHL a year after Ottawa, and just like the Senators, they have one Final appearance and no Stanley Cups. Ottawa’s fan base is more devoted than Florida’s (the Panthers were last in attendance this season), but Florida also has had to endure more lousy hockey.

8. Arizona Coyotes (Stanley Cup Final appearances: 0. Stanley Cup wins: 0.)

On the ice, the Coyotes haven’t been very good since arriving in Arizona in 1996, but it’s the off-the-ice craziness that has truly tortured fans. That drama is still unfolding, but it’s never a good sign for a fan base when the thing it should be happiest about is the fact that the team hasn’t left town yet.

7. San Jose Sharks (Stanley Cup Final appearances: 0. Stanley Cup wins: 0.)

This year, the Sharks missed the playoffs for just the sixth time in their history, but they routinely disappoint come playoff time.

6. New York Islanders (Stanley Cup Final appearances: 5. Stanley Cup wins: 4. Most recent title: 1983.)

On the one hand, the Islanders won an incredible four straight Cups in the early ’80s. On the other hand, the franchise eventually devolved into an absolute circus, from the John Spano debacle to the switch to the loathed fisherman logo to the regrettable 15-year contract they gave to Rick DiPietro. Fun fact: Alexei Yashin’s contract just came off the books this week.

5. Washington Capitals (Stanley Cup Final appearance: 1. Stanley Cup wins: 0.)

The Capitals have been around since 1974 and have never won a Cup. But it’s the past decade that’s really tortured fans, because expectations have been so high. Alex Ovechkin revived the franchise after the 2004-05 lockout, but the Caps still haven’t advanced past the second round since he came into the league, despite five division titles.

4. St. Louis Blues (Stanley Cup Final appearances: 3. Stanley Cup wins: 0.)

The Blues made the playoffs every season from 1980 until 2004, and in recent years, they’ve been considered a threat to make a deep playoff run. But they’re the only still-in-existence franchise from the NHL’s 1967 expansion that hasn’t won a Cup, and they haven’t even been to a Final since getting there in each of their first three seasons.

3. Toronto Maple Leafs (Stanley Cup Final appearances: 19. Stanley Cup wins: 13. Last title: 1967.)

A soap opera of a franchise that hasn’t won a title since 1967, and hasn’t even won a playoff series since 2004. Playing in Canada’s biggest city, they’ve got a rabid (if frustrated) fan base and are constantly under a ton of media scrutiny. Winning a Cup is the ultimate goal, but it’d be a step in the right direction to even bring some stability to the franchise and get it out of the laughingstock category.

2. Vancouver Canucks (Stanley Cup Final appearances: 3. Stanley Cup wins: 0.)

The Canucks have been around since 1970 without a title, despite twice getting to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final. Routinely one of the best teams in the West under Alain Vigneault, they just as routinely underperformed in the playoffs. They have many of the elements of a truly tortured fan base: no titles, a dedicated fan base and a couple of agonizing near misses.

1. Buffalo Sabres (Stanley Cup Final appearances: 2. Stanley Cup wins: 0.)

To clarify, we’re not even considering the double whammy of being a Sabres fan and a Bills fan. We’re just looking at hockey here. But Sabres fans, passionate hockey fans that they are, have it rough: zero titles since entering the league in 1970, and one of their two trips to the Final ended in controversial fashion. (Brett Hull is still trolling them over that.) There’s reason for hope: Jack Eichel.

Summer is here and time to practice your high-dives…like these 2 Filipino National Dive team members.

Looks like Orv diving into the Tough Mudder’s Arctic Enema after Fulty “persuaded” him to enter.

Remember the Pontiac Silverdome? It’s now abandoned and run down. However, Red Bull put one of its BMX riders up to one last performance at the crumbling stadium. Watch as Tyler Fernengel takes on the old dome.

Looks like the pictures of modern-day Chernobyl…..sad.

Looks like Nick Bonino is healthy and ready for the season to start (said no one ever!)

 

Don’t know which is the bigger concern — that Bonino is forced to roll out his back in a Whole Foods parking lot, or that it’s mid-June and he still has the beard.

In the news; A pitcher who is equally adept throwing right or left, and at living on land or in water.

Some classic tennis coming up this summer. Get ready with Andy Samberg…

…or with The Royal Tenenbaums, featuring a big match played at “Windswept Fields”:

The Red Wings aren’t going to miss a beat. Check out this clip of new coach Jeff Blashill from the Wings’ 2014 prospect development camp. Gives you a pretty good idea what they’re getting.

Erty just ordered JBR’s “Draft oh-16” t-shirt today. I can’t wait to hear him say, “The Magic Unicorns are pleased to select Connor McDavid.”

But JBR probably won’t show so Derko will pick for him and mistakenly select David McConnor of the Scottish 3rd Division. He will justify the selection by stating, “He may be a soccer player, but have you seen him in yoga pants?”

Duncan “Freakish” Keith. King of the VO2 Max. Click on his 3rd grade promise to read the story.

Good on ya’, Tampa Bay Lightning Twitter feed.

Ad of the decade.

Runner-up

Some good research here by American Nate Silver:

“Professional hockey has an extremely regional following: it is extraordinarily popular in almost all of Canada, reasonably popular in parts of the northeastern and midwestern United States, and quite obscure elsewhere in the United States. These differences more than make up for the smaller size of Canadian markets. In fact, the typical Canadian team has considerably more N.H.L. fans in its market than the typical United States team does.” Did you read that Gary Bettman?

Silver is a analytics fan and researched Google search traffic for “NHL” is various media markets. His findings below show that Canadians are “avid fans”; Americans, more “regional fans.” The Canadian cities all scored above 50% except for Montreal (but that’s probably because Silver didn’t research “LNH” on LeGoogle.)

How about relocation? Seattle? Six Canadian cities show a more avid fan base than Seattle. Even Saskatoon has more NHL fans than Houston, Vegas, Milwaukee, or KC. Saskatoon.

If only “Wild” Bill Hunter hadn’t meddled in 1983, Saskatoon would be singing the Blues. Read it here.

Sorry Canucks fans, this is too good to pass up. The Province writers, in their desire to prove that their club is “Les Habitants” West, created the 101 greatest Canucks of all-time (yes, 101. I’ll get to that.) You’d expect to see the Sedins, Smyl, Bure, Linden, Naslund et al. on the list, followed by more obscure picks that only a die-hard would remember: #41 Chris Oddleifson, #67 Ivan Hlinka, #83 Garry Monahan, #88 John Gould, #93 Mark Messier (ooooohhhh, that’s gotta hurt!)  But the best? #100 Brent Sopel – Makes the list for picking up a cracker. Food can be dangerous, ask Dustin Penner.

101? No consensus. Alex Auld, David Bruce, Mats Sundin, Luc Bourdon, Nathan Lafayette. Lafayette (10 career points as a ‘nuck) is known for only one mythical, traumatizing event: hitting the post in ’94. It’s such an iconic moment in Canucks history because of legions of Canucks fans who grew up with the Mighty Ducks movies, and recall Coach Bombay telling young Charlie Conway the story of the championship game where he hit the post:
Bombay: A quarter-of-an-inch this way and it would have gone in. A quarter of an inch, Charlie.
Charlie: Yeah, but a quarter-inch the other way and you’d have missed completely.
Bombay: I never thought of it that way.
You gotta keep the faith, Canucks fans.

Enjoying the semis?

From the ertyfiles

Welcome to the Club, Sid.

THN Draft Preview ’15 is out now. Draft is June 26th. Derko, set your PVR now!

FULTY CROWNED 2014-15 OFHL CHAMPION!

FINAL STANDINGS

TEAM	G	W	L	T	PTS	PWk	TP
1. Fulty	74	58	14	2	118	28	921
2. Cordy	74	57	13	4	118	40	907
3. Derko	74	45	28	1	91	20	875
4. Rolphy	74	44	28	2	90	24	778
5. Haukster	74	42	30	2	86	15	778
6. eZ	74	40	33	1	81	22	775
7. T-Man	74	35	32	7	77	22	785
8. Vinny	74	33	35	6	72	21	721
9. Erty	74	35	37	2	72	22	702
10. GoJo	74	32	41	1	65	32	733
11. Orv	74	31	40	3	65	23	697
12. Stifler	74	6	66	2	14	14	496
13. JBR	74	5	66	3	13	18	496

THE 2014-2015 OFHL IN REVIEW

First time since 1994-95 that player points had to be used to choose the winner of the pool. Fulty and Cordy tied in points, but Fulty held a 14 player point advantage.  Here’s a run-down of the teams and their plight.

1st: FULTY 118 pts, 921 player pts. Fulty took over 1st place in week 13 and only relinquished it for one week on his way to the Championship. He also finished 1st in player points, beating Cordy by 14. 34 point improvement over last year. Team looks solid for next year at goal, D and forwards. The early trade for Lundqvist & Zetterberg, the pick-up of Klingberg, and a late surge from Benn, solidified any weaknesses he had, and made up for the loss of Patrick Kane. Likely a favorite to repeat.(Payout: $190 & the OFHL Championship Trophy)

2nd: CORDY 118 pts, 907 player pts. 2nd year he’s finished 2nd. Was leading early, but a 2-6 run early in the new year lost him the lead and he could never recover. Solid goal and D, but loses a lot of vets and will have to make some decisions about aging forwards. Trading away high picks the past few years has hurt. Still, should be in the money next year. (Payout: $130 and another yerar to enhance the Derko Cup)

3rd: DERKO 91 pts, 875 player points. A year of bad luck. Was in the running for a repeat in the early parts of the season, but a weak January (3-8) hurt his chances. Still, his 875 player points should have given him a lot more wins (he was 1 pt ahead of Rolphy in the standings, yet almost 100 more player points.) Still owns one of the best groups of forwards in the OFHL. Goaltending always an issue. (Payout: $90 and doesn’t have to touch the Derko Cup)

4th: ROLPHY 90 pts, 778 player points. Fourth straight year his points have gone up; had league’s biggest improvement over last year as he jumped up 49 points from last year’s 41. Goaltending was a strength of the team. I guess he took the threat of a Unicorn tattoo seriously. (Payout: $50 and won’t have to sleep at the Sun Peaks Hostel)

5th: HAUKSTER 86 pts, 778 player points. Had some early success, then his team took December off and, well, 5th it is.  Finished 3rd last year, and looks to be in the same range next year. Good goalies help. (Payout: $40)

6th: EZ 81 pts. Slipped a bit this year as he fell out of the money. Made a late charge but not enough; but at least he still has a lottery shot in this year’s draft.

7th: T-MAN 77 pts. Improvement over last year but too many ties. Some great young pieces that could challenge if it all comes together.

8th: VINNY 72 pts. Finished ahead of Erty by 19 player points. Good prospects need to arrive soon.

9th: ERTY 72 pts. Carbon copy of last year. Lots of kids coming up.

10th: GOJO 65 pts. Beat ORV by 36 player points. Still recovering from his 12-13 championship, but the rebuild shows flashes of brilliance.

11th: ORV 65 pts. This is what happens when your goalies get old, but it was an improvement over last years 52 pts.

12th: STIFLER 14 pts. Eichel or McDavid or ???

13th: JBR 13 pts. At worst, Eichel. or he trades it to Derko for 7 players, free contacts, and unlimited mushrooms at Tim Hortons.

Winners since the 2004-05 lock-out/strike season:

Year

OFHL Winner

Winning %

Derko Cup Holder

2005-06	WENDY	0.760	Cordy
2006-07	T-MAN	0.760	Cordy
2007-08	CORDY	0.685	Derko
2008-09	HAUKSTER	0.731	Derko
2009-10	DERKO	0.760	GoJo
2010-11	T-MAN	0.736	GoJo
2011-12	CORDY	0.679	GoJo
2012-13	GOJO	0.714	Derko
2013-14	DERKO	0.722	Cordy

You’ll notice there have been a number of Champions since the lost season, but only 3 teams were worthy of holding Derko’s cup.

Fulty’s winning % of 79.7 is the highest since Cordy’s 0.827 in 2000-01 and Orv’s 0.810 in 2002-03.

DRAFT 2015

We need to decide on the draft order for round one. Will post after final order is decided.

POTW

Thankfully for Fulty, Jamie Benn had 10 points in his attempt to win the scoring race (which he did.)

Welcome to the NHL, kid.

Keegan Lowe played in his first career game Thursday for the Carolina Hurricanes against the Philadelphia Flyers and made a good first impression.  Lowe, the son of Edmonton Oilers president of hockey operations Kevin Lowe, fought veteran forward Vincent Lecavalier not once, but twice. The two dropped the gloves towards the end of the first period and it’s safe to say Lowe got the last laugh, or punch.

The two dropped the gloves again in the second period, this time with Lecavalier getting the better of the rookie.

When they heard, “Lecavalier hammers Lowe,” Oiler fans everywhere were hoping it was Kevin.

PLAYER OF THE YEAR

CAREY PRICE of TEAM CORDY takes it with 112 points.  Here’s the breakdown of the top players at every position:

GOALIE		OFHL
PLAYER	TEAM	TEAM	PTS
Carey Price	Mtl	C	112
Braden Holtby	Wsh	R	110
Pekka Rinne	Nas	F	96
Marc-Andre Fleury	Pit	V	97
Jonathan Quick	LA	T	97
Ben Bishop	TB	F	93
Jaroslav Halak	NYI	C	92
Devan Dubnyk	Min	G	88
Kari Lehtonen	Dal	Z	88
Tuukka Rask	Bos	H	87

 

FORWARDS		OFHL
PLAYER	TEAM	TEAM	PTS
Jamie Benn	Dal	F	87
John Tavares	NYI	T	86
Sidney Crosby	Pit	D	84
Alex Ovechkin	Wsh	D	81
Jakub Voracek	Phi	D	81
Nicklas Backstrom	Wsh	C	78
Tyler Seguin	Dal	C	77
Daniel Sedin	Van	D/C	76
Jiri Hudler	Cgy	F/R	76
Nick Foligno	CBJ	Z	73

 

DMEN		OFHL
PLAYER	TEAM	TEAM	PTS
Erik Karlsson	Ott	C	87
Brent Burns	SJ	R	77
P.K. Subban	Mtl	F	75
Dennis Wideman	Cgy	Z	71
Roman Josi	Nas	Z	70
John Carlson	Wsh	C	67
OEL	Arz	F	66
Kris Letang	Pit	O	65
Tyson Barrie	Col	C/O	65
Justin Faulk	Car	T	64

 

ROOKIE		OFHL
PLAYER	TEAM	TEAM	PTS
Johnny Gaudreau	Cgy	D	64
Mark Stone	Ott	G	64
Filip Forsberg	Nas	O	63
Mike Hoffman	Ott	J	48
Kevin Hayes	NYR	C	45
Anders Lee	NYI	G	41
John Klingberg	Dal	F	40
Aaron Ekblad	Fla	T	39
Evgeny Kuznetsov	Wsh	H	37
Victor Rask	Car	J	33

SATELLITE DEBRIS

LA Kings become fifth defending Stanley Cup champion in the expansion era (post-1966) to miss the playoffs the following season.

Of the NHL’s last 46 champions, only the 1967 Toronto Maple Leafs, 1969 Montreal Canadiens, 1995 New Jersey Devils and 2006 Carolina Hurricanes have missed the playoffs the year after winning the Cup.

Last year’s Conn Smythe award winner, LA Kings forward Justin Williams, attains double notoriety. He played for the Hurricanes in 2006-07, when they finished 11th in the Eastern Conference and missed the postseason by four points. Anze Kopitar sums up his feelings after losing to the Oilers.

For one brief, shining moment Wikipedia thought Braden Holtby “owned” the Boston Bruins

Wikipedia, bastion of “truthiness!”

OTHER RAMBLINGS

The playoffs are upon us and it was great to see both of Atlanta’s franchises clinch playoff spots on Thursday night. The Winnipeg Jets waited 19 years to make the playoffs. In the words of Marshall Mathers, “It feels so empty without me.”

Enjoy the Playoffs!

Week 23

RAMBLINGS

Cordy, Fulty , and Rolphy were all perfect 3-0.  Fulty’s Sunday Miracles continue as he beat eZ by 1 point (thank you OEL!) which could be huge in a few weeks.

Races:

• For 1st: Fulty remains a game up on Cordy and also holds the Player Points tie-break
• For 3rd: Derko has Rolphy by one point; Haukster falling off the pace
• For a better draft pick between Orv & T-Man: Orv keeps falling and that helps T-Man – what if it is a lottery winner? What do you think of that, Steve Buscemi?

• For 1st Draft Pick 2015: The Great Turtle Race saw no change this week, but the two turtles play each other next week in the McDavid Cup. What do you think of that, Steve Buscemi?

POTW

It should go to Carey Price with 8 points, but the Hamburglar story won’t go away. Andrew Hammond is 13-0-1 with 2 shut-outs (1.65 GAA, .947 save %) Nice! Good pick-up but too bad he’s a UFA at the end of the season, JBR. Just Kidding.

SATELLITE DEBRIS

Here’s the picture T-Man was telling as about the other day. It’s of Guy Lafleur and the Montreal Forum crowd saluting each other in 1981 after Lafleur’s 1,000th NHL point. It’s a great photo for a number of reasons, not the least of which is 15-year-old Mario Lemieux applauding over Lafleur’s right shoulder.

Is that a Young George Stroumboulopoulos smoking-up in the top right corner?

Throw Back Thursday allows Twitter & Facebook users to post old pics. Usually it’s pictures of geeky kids with bad haircuts….. no names, Fulty. Jim Craig takes #TBT to another level.

It’s March Madness (best time to watch hoops) and this was the greatest moment of opening day. Georgia State’s R.J. Hunter hits the game-winning three-pointer with three seconds left to beat Baylor 57-56. His dad, head coach Ron Hunter at the middle left of your screen, falls off his chair:

Keeping with Basketball….HE GOT NAME!

In Canadian basketball, it turns out a star player for the Medicine Hat College Rattlers goes by the name of Guilherme Carbagiale Fuck. It’s an unusual name, but he doesn’t give a you-know-what.

“Well, it’s 40 below, and I don’t give a Guilherme Carbagiale….”

Must be awful for the in-game announcer who probably has to shout “Fuck for three!” in front of children.

STANDINGS

TEAM	G	W	L	T	PTS	PWk	TP	AVG	%	ThisWk	Past4Wk
F	65	51	13	1	103	41	818	35.6	0.792	3-0	7-4-1
C	65	49	13	3	101	40	793	34.5	0.777	3-0	9-2-1
D	65	42	23	0	84	32	795	34.6	0.646	2-1	8-4
R	65	41	23	1	83	37	706	30.7	0.638	3-0	8-4
H	65	38	25	2	78	23	684	29.7	0.600	0-2	5-5-1
Z	65	34	30	1	69	40	671	29.2	0.531	2-1	6-5
E	66	33	32	1	67	22	628	27.3	0.508	1-2	5-7
T	65	30	29	6	66	23	688	29.9	0.508	0-3	7-4
V	65	29	31	5	63	27	645	28.0	0.485	2-1	6-4-1
O	65	27	35	3	57	24	618	26.9	0.438	1-2	5-7
G	66	26	39	1	53	29	638	27.7	0.402	2-1	7-5
S	65	5	58	2	12	24	437	19.0	0.092	0-3	0-11-1
J	66	5	59	2	12	15	439	19.1	0.091	0-3	0-11-1

GO ZAGS!

Sweet Sixteen Baby!