Week 16 – Some Canadian Teams Are Hot; Ottawa’s Not!

THINGS ARE BAD IN OTTAWA

25 minutes into Saturday’s game vs NYR, Ottawa was leading 2-0. The Rangers went on to score 7 in a row on 17 shots. And Jacques was not happy.

SHARKS DEPLOY NEW POWERPLAY SYSTEM

MAPLE LEAFS DEPLOY BOLD DEFENSIVE STRATEGY

BRUINS TO MOVE TO NFL?

Does Fanatics know something we don’t?

NHL HISTORICAL JERSEY NUMBERS

A LOT CAN CHANGE IN TWO SEASONS

TIRED OF BETTING ADS? SO IS EVERYONE

WHOSE CARD? 

Over his career, this player was traded for 8 players, 6 picks, and cash.

ANOTHER QUESTION FOR YOU

Which OFHL GM bought this edition of Sports Illustrated at a sports memorabilia auction, and why?

Post your possible responses on WhatsApp today. The winner gets a beer, as does the best, wrong answer.

WHAT HAPPENED THIS WEEK    

• Big Week: JBR with 47pts
• 3-0 Weeks for JBR, GnR, & Derko
• Derko now within 10 points of R&S
• GnR moved up one spot to 7th
• Top F: Kucherov with 9 pts
• Top Rook: Laferriere 3pts
• Top Vet: Duchene & Seguin 4pts
• Top D: Harley 9pts
• Top G: 3 players with 6pts
• Pick-up goes to T-Man as a 4 was rolled
• It’s SUPER WEEK: Jan. 29 – Feb. 11. A 2-week run over NHL All-Star weekend.
• Rule tweak: It was pointed out that the current reading of rule X.d of the OFHL League Rules could have been interpreted to read that GMs were not allowed to increase their roster size by a trade. Not true. We want to encourage trading, not discourage it. We’ve always allowed teams to go over 12 players via trade. In fact, Rule V.d.ii.2 states, “After Cut-Down Day, the Bench can only go above 12 members through a trade.“
• So Rule X.d should be modified to read “The player(s) traded may be inserted onto the Bench, Active Roster, or Prospect List (provided there is room on the AR or PL.)” 
• Thanks for your attention (the 9 of you who regularly read to the end – analytics don’t lie.) Now, on with the update.

STANDINGS 

		OVERALL								THIS WEEK
TEAM	G	W	L	T	PTS	TP	AVG	%		W	L	T	PWk
&	48	41	6	1	83	632	39.5	0.865	.	2	1	0	43
D	48	36	11	1	73	586	36.6	0.760	.	3	0	0	45
S	48	30	14	4	64	551	34.4	0.667	.	2	1	0	36
J	48	30	15	3	63	555	34.7	0.656	.	3	0	0	47
R	48	29	18	1	59	546	34.1	0.615	.	2	1	0	43
C	48	26	20	2	54	521	32.6	0.563	.	1	2	0	33
G	48	23	22	3	49	505	31.6	0.510	.	3	0	0	40
F	48	22	23	3	47	517	32.3	0.490	.	0	3	0	33
E	48	21	25	2	44	495	30.9	0.458	.	2	1	0	36
O	48	18	28	2	38	473	29.6	0.396	.	1	2	0	33
Z	48	15	33	0	30	396	24.8	0.313	.	1	2	0	26
H	48	12	34	2	26	416	26.0	0.271	.	0	3	0	31
T	48	12	35	1	25	441	27.6	0.260	.	0	3	0	21
V	48	8	39	1	17	359	22.4	0.177	.	1	2	0	22

WHOSE CARD WAS IT? 

UNTIL NEXT WEEK…  

“Dad, my skates are dull. Can you get them sharpened right now?” Dad runs to the lobby with a fistful of quarters. Done.

Week 7 – US Thanksgiving

NHL writers say that US Thanksgiving is the predictive indicator of which teams will make the playoffs. So here we have it:

One wildcard team out East

US THANKSGIVING Thursday is always a great time for a “Canadian Sick Day” as it’s NFL from morning til night. Anyone remember when Randy Moss went nuts on Turkey Day?

Check out that stat line: 3 catches, 163 yards, 3 touchdowns! No crossing routes. No button hooks. Just BOMBS!

Hughes Family Thanksgiving

Just a reminder that Quinn is still the Top Hughes.

Dallas fans enjoy their Turkey Day a little differently…

Antti Raantta sets modern NHL record for worst full-game save %.

Even Norm Duff had a better save % in every game he played for us in roller hockey.

OFHL HISTORICAL QUOTES 

“So the door prize of the cannabis stuff is either going to the church elder or the Christian school principal? Someone’s losing their job tonight.”

WHOSE CARD? 

Born in England?

Kris Letang hates the Sabres!

THE WEEK IN BULLETS 

• Best week: JBR with 46pts
• 3-0 weeks: R&S, JBR, Erty, and GnR
• One-third of the way through the season and R&S has a 13 pt lead
• Expansion cousins JBR & Stifler are tied for 2nd
• Here’s how close the standings are in the middle of the pack. Last week JBR & Rolphy were tied for 6th; Rolphy’s now in 10th & JBR’s tied for 2nd.
• Top F: McDavid with 12pts
• Top Vet: Hyman 7 pts
• Top Rook: L. Hughes 3 pts
• Top D: Makar & Ghostisbehere with 6 pts
• Top Goalie: Skinner & Hellebuyck with 6 pts
• Vinny’s still in the basement and the pick goes to the lottery; a “3” is rolled so Vinny wins the week 7 pick-up.

UPDATED STANDINGS

TEAM	G	W	L	T	PTS	TP	AVG	%		W	L	T	PWk
&	21	20	1	0	40	282	40.3	0.952	.	3	0	0	45
S	21	13	7	1	27	250	35.7	0.643	.	2	1	0	40
J	21	13	7	1	27	241	34.4	0.643	.	3	0	0	46
D	21	13	8	0	26	229	32.7	0.619	.	1	2	0	33
F	21	12	8	1	25	232	33.1	0.595	.	0	2	1	24
E	21	11	9	1	23	221	31.6	0.548	.	3	0	0	38
G	21	11	9	1	23	219	31.3	0.548	.	3	0	0	34
C	21	11	9	1	23	219	31.3	0.548	.	0	3	0	29
R	21	10	10	1	21	208	29.7	0.500	.	0	3	0	24
O	21	10	10	1	21	200	28.6	0.500	.	1	1	1	24
Z	21	7	14	0	14	182	26.0	0.333	.	2	1	0	31
H	21	6	15	0	12	172	24.6	0.286	.	0	3	0	22
T	21	3	18	0	6	185	26.4	0.143	.	0	3	0	21
V	21	3	18	0	6	141	20.1	0.143	.	2	1	0	25

WHOSE CARD WAS IT? 

“I only fought 12 or 13 times and I never remember getting pounded… except by Steve Thomas. I thought I could fight him; he’s my size. Halfway through the fight, I realized he was the Middleweight Champ of the NHL. He hit me 57 times! I finished 3rd in that fight!” Ray Ferraro on the “Got Yer Back” podcast

UNTIL NEXT WEEK… 

Enjoy a little poetry in motion by the Purdue basketball team. It’s oddly satisfying.

Week 2 – Stifler Gets Robbed; What’s Up With T-Man & EZ?

JERSEY FOULS

The Vancouver Giants wore black-and-white striped jerseys Sunday night to show their appreciation for on-ice officials. Too bad they passed to the refs on every break-out.

Happy 50th Anniversary to Peter Puck, the NHIC cartoon that taught children the rules of hockey in a fun way.
The Peter Puck mascot was a regular fixture at Canucks games until he was violently attacked with his own skates in a PNE arena washroom by a young Erty.

Jesse Puljujärvi is ready to return to the NHL as he works his way back from offseason hip surgery.

🚨 GOALIE GOAL 🚨

Mathis Rousseau does it in the QMJHL! pic.twitter.com/QOjdTPXH7N

— Gregory Balloch (@GregBalloch) October 21, 2023

Let the OFHL debate on Goalie goals continue…

WHOSE CARD?  Tough one. This Saskatchewan boy won 2 Cups with the Flyers; wore #18 & a helmet.

THE WEEK IN BULLETS 

• Big week for Fulty with 44 points
• 3-0 weeks for F, R&S, JBR, and Rolphy
• Rolphy goes 3-0 with only 29 points while Stifler’s 32 points saw him go 0-3. Damn schedule maker!
• What is going on with T-Man & EZ who both sit at the bottom of the standings? Last year at this time they were first & third.
• EZ gets the week 2 pick-up
• Top F: Larkin – 9pts
• Top R: Evangelista – 3pts
• Top V: 3 tied with 5pts
• Top D: Gostisbehere – 6pts
• Top G: Georgiev – 8pts

STANDINGS 

TEAM	G	W	L	T	PTS	TP	AVG	%		W	L	T	PWk
&	6	6	0	0	12	77	38.5	1.000	.	3	0	0	37
F	6	6	0	0	12	76	38.0	1.000	.	3	0	0	44
J	6	5	1	0	10	72	36.0	0.833	.	3	0	0	40
O	6	4	2	0	8	67	33.5	0.667	.	2	1	0	39
D	6	4	2	0	8	52	26.0	0.667	.	1	2	0	24
E	6	3	2	1	7	57	28.5	0.583	.	2	1	0	33
C	6	3	3	0	6	59	29.5	0.500	.	2	1	0	36
R	6	3	3	0	6	53	26.5	0.500	.	3	0	0	29
S	6	2	3	1	5	56	28.0	0.417	.	0	3	0	32
G	6	2	4	0	4	46	23.0	0.333	.	0	3	0	21
H	6	2	4	0	4	45	22.5	0.333	.	1	2	0	25
V	6	1	5	0	2	34	17.0	0.167	.	1	2	0	22
T	6	0	6	0	0	51	25.5	0.000	.	0	3	0	28
Z	6	0	6	0	0	27	13.5	0.000	.	0	3	0	13

WHOSE CARD WAS IT? 

This sign welcomes you as you enter Watson, Sask. (pop.687). You can still see it as you leave Watson, Sask.

FAMOUS OFHL QUOTES 

From Draft 2014:

STIFLER: I’m not a fan of my nickname, and I’m not cool with all the references to my mom.

FULTY: Okay. How about ‘Shitler’?

STIFLER: Stifler’s fine.

UNTIL NEXT WEEK…  

Cut-Down Day Nov. 5th at midnight (end of week 4). You’ll have to set your 25 rostered players (13 active, 12 on the bench,) 5 on the Prospects List, and the rest are cut.

And to make things easy for the bean counters… when posting on the board, make one post for your cuts and prospects, and make a separate post for your starting lineup changes for Week 5. It keeps Fulty & Erty from posting memes about you.

Team Ren & Stimpy; OFHL 2022-23 Champions!

CONGRATS TO 2022-23 OFHL CHAMPION, and winner of “The Orv” Trophy, REN & STIMPY!

Image Courtesy of T-Man’s private comic collection

It took 7 years but Team Ren & Stimpy won their first Championship in a great come-from-behind race. After week 11, Team R&S wasn’t even in a money spot; in fact, they were never in 1st place until it counted… the final week of the season!

1st Place and Winners of “THE ORV,” Ren & Stimpy. It all started with a 1st round pick of Nick Schmaltz AZ back in 2016 and built from there; Hischer in ’17, Hughes in ’18, another Hughes in ’19, and a bunch of smart trades after that.

Their 77.5 winning percentage was the lowest by a Champion since 2104 when Derko won with a 72.0 percentage.

Is this the beginning of a Dynasty?

2nd Place: Congrats to JBR who had the most player points (by 63) and is the proud winner of the DERKO CUP. Can’t wait for the next visit to Chiropractic Associates & Health Clinic to see Derko’s Cup proudly displayed as you walk into the waiting room. Definitely worthy of a stop during the Williams Lake Art Walk 2023!

JBR joined in 2015 and, other than 2022, it’s been a steady climb.

3rd Place goes to T-Man who had a great run but faltered in the last few weeks. A look back on T-Man’s past decade shows he knows how to build a program.

The last money spot goes to Fulty who pushed early for a 5th Championship but had to settle for 4th.

FINAL STANDINGS FOR 2022-23 

TEAM	G	W	L	T	PTS	TPP	AVG	%		W	L	T	PWk
1. R&S ($300)	69	53	15	1	107	888	38.6	0.775	.	3	0	0	45
2. JBR ($140)	69	52	16	1	105	951	41.3	0.761	.	2	1	0	39
3. TMan ($100)	69	51	16	2	104	875	38.0	0.754	.	3	0	0	41
4. Fulty ($60)	69	40	25	4	84	802	34.9	0.609	.	3	0	0	38
5. Erty	69	39	27	3	81	801	34.8	0.587	.	3	0	0	41
6. Rolphy	69	37	26	6	80	789	34.3	0.580	.	2	1	0	39
7. EZ	69	38	28	3	79	773	33.6	0.572	.	0	3	0	23
8. Stifler	69	32	31	6	70	748	32.5	0.507	.	0	3	0	29
9. Derko	69	31	36	2	64	784	34.1	0.464	.	2	1	0	37
10. Team Orv	69	26	40	3	55	716	31.1	0.399	.	1	2	0	26
11. GnR	69	26	42	1	53	674	29.3	0.384	.	0	3	0	27
12. Cordy	69	21	47	1	43	690	30.0	0.312	.	1	2	0	36
13. Vinny	69	11	56	2	24	567	24.7	0.174	.	0	3	0	25
14. Haukster	69	8	60	1	17	527	22.9	0.123	.	1	2	0	27

UP NEXT, PLAYOFFS…  

OFHL Playoffs run for 3 weeks (changes allowed weekly) for the top 11 teams. The season is over for Cordy, Vinny, & Haukster. See ya losers next year!

Elite 8 Playoff Pool (top 8 teams from regular OFHL season) 

Week One: Head to Head

• 1. R&S v 8. Stifler
• 2. JBR v 7. EZ
• 3. Tman v 6. Rolphy
• 4. Fulty v 5. Erty

Week Two Semi-Finals:

– Week One winners continue playoff. (Highest v. lowest)

– Week One losers go to 2 weeks of total point play down for a pick at the end of the 4th round next year 

Week Three: Finals (Semi-Final winners play for 1^st ) (Semi-Final losers play for 3rd) 

9-11Pick Pool – 9. Derko, 10. Team Orv, & 11. GnR

• Teams finishing 9^th through 11^th in the OFHL regular season are in a three-week total points pool. (changes allowed weekly)  
• The winner receives a pick at the end of the 3^rd round in the next year. 

Playoff Tie Breaker – the tie break will be a “Shoot-Out.” The 2 teams decide a winner based on the past week’s points of the highest individual point-getter on each team (the player can be any position.) Example: Team A’s top scorer has 8 points, and Team B’s top scorer has 7, so Team A gets the win. If the teams are tied, we compare their 2nd best scorer… and so on until we get a winner. A coin toss is still the final authority. 

Orv would have said the final week was a “Gooder!”

Week 21 – Two Weeks Left

Things We Need To Know

The word Donnybrook is derived from a public fair that was held in Donnybrook, Ireland beginning in the 1200s. By the 1800s, the Fair built a reputation of being a drunken, wild, brawling event that finally ended in the mid-1800s.

FROM THE VAULT 

Six years ago The Hockey News published Future Watch ’17. How have those names fared?

THN FUTURE WATCH 2017
TOP 10	PLAYER	OFHL TEAM
1	Keller AZ	Derko (2017), now Rolphy
2	Puljujarvi ED	JBR (2017), still JBR
3	Chabot OT	Orv (2017), now R&S
4	McAvoy BO	R&S (2017), now Derko
5	Eriksson Ek MN	Vinny (2017), now Team Orv
6	Nylander BF	R&S (2017), now cut
7	Strome AZ	Orv (2017), now Cordy
8	Barzal NI	Haukster (2017), now derko
9	Sergachev MT	R&S (2017), now Cordy
10	Dubois CBJ	Haukster (2017), now Stifler

WHOSE CARD IS IT?

ROOKIE WATCH 

Rolphy’s little guy is doing ok

FIGHTS

WEEK IN REVIEW and T-Man’s feeling the heat

• JBR rumbles – has the big week with 55 points; he’s averaging almost 41 points per week
• T-Man stumbles – goes 0-3 and now sits just one point ahead of JBR and R&S
• R&S, T-Man, and JBR all play each other over the final 2 weeks
• T-Man has gone 5-7 in the past month
• JBR has gone 12-0; he’s on a 21-3 run
• EZ and Fulty are in a fight for 4th (the last $ spot.) eZ has the lead in Standings Points; Fulty has the Player Points lead
• The Money:
  • 1st place $300
  • 2nd place $140  
  • 3rd place $100  
  • 4th place $60 

STANDINGS 

TEAM	G	W	L	T	PTS	TPP	AVG	%		W	L	T	PWk
1. T-Man	63	47	14	2	96	788	37.5	0.762	.	0	3	0	30
2. JBR	63	47	15	1	95	859	40.9	0.754	.	3	0	0	55
3. R&S	63	47	15	1	95	774	36.9	0.754	.	2	1	0	32
4. eZ	63	37	23	3	77	713	34.0	0.611	.	0	3	0	30
5. Fulty	63	36	23	4	76	722	34.4	0.603	.	3	0	0	36
6. Erty	63	34	26	3	71	726	34.6	0.563	.	1	1	1	36
7. Rolphy	63	32	25	6	70	703	33.5	0.556	.	2	0	1	36
8. Stifler	63	31	26	6	68	688	32.8	0.540	.	3	0	0	34
9. Derko	63	28	33	2	58	708	33.7	0.460	.	0	3	0	28
10. Team Orv	63	24	36	3	51	650	31.0	0.405	.	3	0	0	34
11. GnR	63	23	39	1	47	615	29.3	0.373	.	1	2	0	32
12. Cordy	63	20	42	1	41	627	29.9	0.325	.	1	2	0	33
13. Vinny	63	11	50	2	24	521	24.8	0.190	.	0	3	0	26
14. Haukster	63	6	56	1	13	474	22.6	0.103	.	1	2	0	31

How About Some Fights!

GOALIE FIGHT AND @FANTI_29 LANDS ALL OF THEM pic.twitter.com/gMyS6CbRM0

— Fort Wayne Komets (@FWKomets) March 11, 2023

From the tman files

Craziest fight I’ve ever seen in the national. Take this out of our sport. pic.twitter.com/RjZ4UJQYDl

— Heatdaddy (@heatdaddy69420) March 13, 2023

WHOSE CARD WAS IT? 

Harold with his “Feathered Jordan Rankin” hairpiece

Let’s End With A Canucks Feel-Good Moment From Saturday Night

🥹💙 pic.twitter.com/A9DgtCKz1R

— Annissa Fielding (@annissafielding) March 12, 2023