mc79hockey.com

I’m going to have something in common with Jay Jardine and Matt Fenwick other than the writing of hockey blogs come election day in Ontario: I’m going to pass on voting for a government. I will probably cast a ballot in the referendum on proportional representation but I can’t bring myself to vote for any of the parties seeking to form a government. I could never vote for the Liberals or the NDP and the Conservatives are running such a dishonest campaign that I can’t vote for them either. I realized this last night, when I was watching television and the latest Tory ad came on. John Tory is pretty tightly managed so you can see him making the points that pissed me off on a videe blog on the Conservative site called “Catch and Release Justice”:

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It’s time for the annual mc79hockey.com team previews. They come with a twist - I’m a busy guy and will run out of time to do them them before the season starts. Also, I might not have anything interesting to say about a team. While the lack of anything interesting to say isn’t necessarily a bar to me writing something, the point I’m trying to make here is that just because I’m doing previews, there won’t necessarily be a preview of your favourite team - I didn’t get around to doing the Oilers last year, oddly enough. In this regard, I refer you to the original motto of Larry Mahnken’s Replacement Level Yankees Weblog: “Hey, it’s free!”. Oh, and these aren’t so much “previews” as “musings about statistical oddities that caught my eye”. Again: “Hey, it’s free!” If you’re wondering about the acronyms or stats that I refer to, take a look at the glossary, which I’ll create and then update as necessary. The position noted at the top is a divisional thing; I’ll throw up my estimate for the conference standings before the year starts. Read the rest of this entry »

I was listening to Bob Stauffer’s show today and there was a spirited debate about whether or not Eric Lindros has the qualifications for the Hockey Hall of Fame.  Now this is a bit of an ethereal debate, in that it assumes that there is such a thing as qualifications for the Hockey Hall of Fame but I think it’s a question that bears some examination.

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“Playing in the National Hockey League is a privilege, and with that privilege comes a corresponding responsibility for exemplary conduct off the ice as well as on it. Mark Bell will serve jail time following the 2007-08 season after pleading to felony and misdemeanor charges stemming from an alcohol-related automobile accident that caused an injury. He also left the scene of the accident. Such conduct is a violation of our covenant with our fans, and to the game, and is prejudicial to the welfare of the League.

You know how a rainbow is a reminder of God’s covenant to never again flood the earth?* When I read this, the first thought that came to mind was to wonder what reminds us of the NHL’s covenant with its fans that its players won’t get into car accidents while impaired and then leave the scene. I have a very strong suspicion that it has something to do with the NFL deciding to crack down on its players and their assorted misconduct. Not only does it remind the fans of this covenant but it also reminds Gary Bettman of its existence. I’m more than a little amazed that the same guy who cancelled a hockey season because the millionaires and the billionaires couldn’t agree is now making reference to a covenant existing between the league and its fans; if I could have some say in the matter, I’d push for a covenant that the league won’t take seasons off to engage in some union busting. That might be just me.

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It’s time for the annual mc79hockey.com team previews. They come with a twist - I’m a busy guy and will run out of time to do them them before the season starts. Also, I might not have anything interesting to say about a team. While the lack of anything interesting to say isn’t necessarily a bar to me writing something, the point I’m trying to make here is that just because I’m doing previews, there won’t necessarily be a preview of your favourite team - I didn’t get around to doing the Oilers last year, oddly enough. In this regard, I refer you to the original motto of Larry Mahnken’s Replacement Level Yankees Weblog: “Hey, it’s free!”. Oh, and these aren’t so much “previews” as “musings about statistical oddities that caught my eye”. Again: “Hey, it’s free!” If you’re wondering about the acronyms or stats that I refer to, take a look at the glossary, which I’ll create and then update as necessary. The position noted at the top is a divisional thing; I’ll throw up my estimate for the conference standings before the year starts.

Read the rest of this entry »

It’s time for the annual mc79hockey.com team previews. They come with a twist - I’m a busy guy and will run out of time to do them them before the season starts. Also, I might not have anything interesting to say about a team. While the lack of anything interesting to say isn’t necessarily a bar to me writing something, the point I’m trying to make here is that just because I’m doing previews, there won’t necessarily be a preview of your favourite team - I didn’t get around to doing the Oilers last year, oddly enough. In this regard, I refer you to the original motto of Larry Mahnken’s Replacement Level Yankees Weblog: “Hey, it’s free!”. Oh, and these aren’t so much “previews” as “musings about statistical oddities that caught my eye”. Again: “Hey, it’s free!” If you’re wondering about the acronyms or stats that I refer to, take a look at the glossary, which I’ll create and then update as necessary. The position noted at the top is a divisional thing; I’ll throw up my estimate for the conference standings before the year starts.

Read the rest of this entry »