I used to watch SportsCenter fairly regularly. Brendan O'Connor and Michael Landsberg made a good team that usually did not offend me (needless to say, that was many years ago). Anchors are responsible for only a few things – lead-ins, charming banter, and notably providing a “segway” from one segment to another.
Even though Landsberg is now a raging ego-maniac, I always thought he was pretty good with segways.
But now O'Connor and Landsberg have been replaced by the likes of Jay Onrait and the aptly-named Dan O’Toole. The average segway goes like such:
O’Toole: “Back in the early 1990’s, Bob Backlund was the champion of the WWF. Backlund wasn’t a fan favourite, but he was effective. His finishing move was the cross-faced chicken wing… and speaking of wings, the RED Wings were in action against the Oilers…
Onrait: *smiling smugly* “Isn’t that right Dan, isn’t that right…”
I hope someone points out to the guys at TSN that a segway is connecting two things smoothly, not looking for two completely disjointed things that their anchors deem to be funny. I’d say the guys at Sportsnet should learn this as well… but I’m pretty sure Jim Lang and Mike Toth are illiterate.
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Anyway… I caught the final two periods of the Oilers home defeat at the hands of the Red Wings (you know, the two periods where the Oilers were outshot 35-13), and I had a few dozen thoughts… here are a few of them:
- Watching a game on TSN is a joy. The announcing is knowledgable (why is Ray Ferraro so much better with TSN compared to his time with Sportsnet?), the broadcasting is superior, and it's in high-def.
- I was so sure of an Oilers defeat that the game had an impending sense of dread. I (and I’m sure you did, too) knew that once Detroit scored they were going to score again shortly after. It wasn’t so much a question as it was a matter of time.
- Shape it as you will… but there is no chance this Edmonton Oilers hockey team could beat Detroit in a seven-game series. Literally, none. Maybe they win a single game, but even that seems unlikely. I understand the final score was only 3-2, but the difference in skill was so noticeable it was actually painful to watch. Not only does Detroit dominate games against Edmonton, but they dominate with whoever they send out there – it’s incredible! I could understand if the ice tilts when Henrik Zetterberg, Marian Hossa, and Pavel Datsyuk are running amok, but Detroit dominated with Dan Cleary, Jonathan Ericsson, and Valterri Filppula.
- Nice dive, Kirk Maltby.
- I won’t rip the Oilers after that performance because it was pretty clear they were giving it their all. But outside Ales Hemsky’s inspired play, there wasn’t a single Oilers forward who really looked like he was on the level of the Red Wings forwards. It’s interesting that players who did so little with the Oilers, like Cleary (and most of us thought was a mediocre player) can become a solid NHLer with a real coach/team.
- The Wings had four Canadians in the lineup last night. With Kris Draper and Maltby getting up there in the years, it’s possible the Wings could be down to Brad Stuart and Cleary as their only Canadians next season.
- Nick Lidstrom will be nominated for the Norris this season (probably), but just like Scott Niedermayer, he has lost a step. Lidstrom’s finally making little mistakes, his +/- is no longer superhuman, and his offensive numbers are way down. Lidstrom is still an excellent defenseman, but he is no longer the standard anymore.
- A true hockey fan can appreciate just how good the Red Wings are, but I always like to contrast teams with other franchises. Here’s what Detroit hitched their wagon to for years to come:
Pavel Datsyuk - $6.7 million a year for the next six years
Henrik Zetterberg – around $7 million a year for the rest of his relevant career (he signed a 12-year deal which pays him in the $7 million range for his most valuable years, then drops off towards the end of the contract)
Brian Rafalski - $6 million a season for the next four years.
Compare that with another original six team – the New York Rangers.
Scott Gomez - $7.4 million a year for the next six years (slightly front-loaded).
Chris Drury - $7 million a year for the next four years.
Wade Redden - $6.5 million a year for the next 5-6 years… or as Rangers fans will learn to call it, “eternity.”
Somehow, Detroit pays about a million less per season for two of the top 10 forwards in the league and a top 10 defenseman (arguably), while the Rangers (who signed the deals at before the Datsyuk and Zetterberg contracts) managed to net a top 25 forward, a top 50 forward, and a slightly-above average defenseman. Yow.
---
I will quickly weigh in on Ales Hemsky’s comments the other day. For those of you who somehow missed it, Ales spoke candidly for the first time in… well, ever. Here’s the biggest quote:
It’s a telling quote that can be interpreted a lot of ways. Obviously Hemsky wants to play more – and he obviously should… but it’s been tough when you need to get Chopper the minutes he deserves, too. But the most interesting comment is the first one – where Hemsky claims “they” (which pretty well means Craig MacTavish) wants to make him a checker. I’m thrilled he said it. Someone had to say it. Any player with talent in Edmonton is eventually beaten down until he becomes a checker – it’s the MacTavish way. And perhaps the Oilers’ lone top-line talent calling the coach out is the first step towards kicking the coach out the door (or at least sending him upstairs so he can mismanage a different aspect of the franchise).
---
Jordin Tootoo finally got his. Needless to say, I was thrilled:
http://scotttougas.blogspot.com
Original Story:
http://scotttougas.blogspot.com/2009/...
Even though Landsberg is now a raging ego-maniac, I always thought he was pretty good with segways.
But now O'Connor and Landsberg have been replaced by the likes of Jay Onrait and the aptly-named Dan O’Toole. The average segway goes like such:
O’Toole: “Back in the early 1990’s, Bob Backlund was the champion of the WWF. Backlund wasn’t a fan favourite, but he was effective. His finishing move was the cross-faced chicken wing… and speaking of wings, the RED Wings were in action against the Oilers…
Onrait: *smiling smugly* “Isn’t that right Dan, isn’t that right…”
I hope someone points out to the guys at TSN that a segway is connecting two things smoothly, not looking for two completely disjointed things that their anchors deem to be funny. I’d say the guys at Sportsnet should learn this as well… but I’m pretty sure Jim Lang and Mike Toth are illiterate.
---
Anyway… I caught the final two periods of the Oilers home defeat at the hands of the Red Wings (you know, the two periods where the Oilers were outshot 35-13), and I had a few dozen thoughts… here are a few of them:
- Watching a game on TSN is a joy. The announcing is knowledgable (why is Ray Ferraro so much better with TSN compared to his time with Sportsnet?), the broadcasting is superior, and it's in high-def.
- I was so sure of an Oilers defeat that the game had an impending sense of dread. I (and I’m sure you did, too) knew that once Detroit scored they were going to score again shortly after. It wasn’t so much a question as it was a matter of time.
- Shape it as you will… but there is no chance this Edmonton Oilers hockey team could beat Detroit in a seven-game series. Literally, none. Maybe they win a single game, but even that seems unlikely. I understand the final score was only 3-2, but the difference in skill was so noticeable it was actually painful to watch. Not only does Detroit dominate games against Edmonton, but they dominate with whoever they send out there – it’s incredible! I could understand if the ice tilts when Henrik Zetterberg, Marian Hossa, and Pavel Datsyuk are running amok, but Detroit dominated with Dan Cleary, Jonathan Ericsson, and Valterri Filppula.
- Nice dive, Kirk Maltby.
- I won’t rip the Oilers after that performance because it was pretty clear they were giving it their all. But outside Ales Hemsky’s inspired play, there wasn’t a single Oilers forward who really looked like he was on the level of the Red Wings forwards. It’s interesting that players who did so little with the Oilers, like Cleary (and most of us thought was a mediocre player) can become a solid NHLer with a real coach/team.
- The Wings had four Canadians in the lineup last night. With Kris Draper and Maltby getting up there in the years, it’s possible the Wings could be down to Brad Stuart and Cleary as their only Canadians next season.
- Nick Lidstrom will be nominated for the Norris this season (probably), but just like Scott Niedermayer, he has lost a step. Lidstrom’s finally making little mistakes, his +/- is no longer superhuman, and his offensive numbers are way down. Lidstrom is still an excellent defenseman, but he is no longer the standard anymore.
- A true hockey fan can appreciate just how good the Red Wings are, but I always like to contrast teams with other franchises. Here’s what Detroit hitched their wagon to for years to come:
Pavel Datsyuk - $6.7 million a year for the next six years
Henrik Zetterberg – around $7 million a year for the rest of his relevant career (he signed a 12-year deal which pays him in the $7 million range for his most valuable years, then drops off towards the end of the contract)
Brian Rafalski - $6 million a season for the next four years.
Compare that with another original six team – the New York Rangers.
Scott Gomez - $7.4 million a year for the next six years (slightly front-loaded).
Chris Drury - $7 million a year for the next four years.
Wade Redden - $6.5 million a year for the next 5-6 years… or as Rangers fans will learn to call it, “eternity.”
Somehow, Detroit pays about a million less per season for two of the top 10 forwards in the league and a top 10 defenseman (arguably), while the Rangers (who signed the deals at before the Datsyuk and Zetterberg contracts) managed to net a top 25 forward, a top 50 forward, and a slightly-above average defenseman. Yow.
---
I will quickly weigh in on Ales Hemsky’s comments the other day. For those of you who somehow missed it, Ales spoke candidly for the first time in… well, ever. Here’s the biggest quote:
"I'm just trying to do exactly what they want. I'm becoming a checker. We're just doing what we have to do to win games. I'm not complaining. It's important to win the games. I just don't feel as important as I did before when they were riding me. I don't feel they use me as much as they did before. If they don't give me the confidence or trust me, I will never be playing the way I was before, the way they want.”
It’s a telling quote that can be interpreted a lot of ways. Obviously Hemsky wants to play more – and he obviously should… but it’s been tough when you need to get Chopper the minutes he deserves, too. But the most interesting comment is the first one – where Hemsky claims “they” (which pretty well means Craig MacTavish) wants to make him a checker. I’m thrilled he said it. Someone had to say it. Any player with talent in Edmonton is eventually beaten down until he becomes a checker – it’s the MacTavish way. And perhaps the Oilers’ lone top-line talent calling the coach out is the first step towards kicking the coach out the door (or at least sending him upstairs so he can mismanage a different aspect of the franchise).
---
Jordin Tootoo finally got his. Needless to say, I was thrilled:
http://scotttougas.blogspot.com
Original Story:
http://scotttougas.blogspot.com/2009/...
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March 24, 2009
