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Hartley Miller's Slap-Shots November 25th Edition

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The NHL and WHL are well into their seasons, and have completed the first part of their schedules. After having watched a number of Cougars games at the CN Centre, and NHL games on the tube, I have to admit, I'm not impressed with the “new” wave of hockey. 

The “new” NHL has too many gimmicks, too many penalties all aimed at pleasing our neigbours south of the border. 

I was quite happy when legendary Steve Yzerman, Detroit Red Wings Captain spoke out. Yzerman told the Detroit Free Press, "Everybody keeps saying this is great. It's not great, it's not hockey." He also told the paper that he believed referees should use better judgment when calling penalties because there are far too many. I certainly echo Yzerman’s thoughts. 

The 40-year-old from Cranbrook also stated, “There has to be some discretion. The referees have to use some judgment on what is a penalty and what is not. They've taken judgment out of it and I think it's somewhat made it easy on the referees just to call anything because there is no judgment. Good referees used to have good judgment. Now they've taken that out of the game”. Specialty teams have always been a part of the game, but now it's at a ridiculous proportion. It's come to a point where you can barely touch another player. A prime example was Sunday's penalty filled farce of a game between 

Vancouver and Anaheim. Yes, more goals are being scored because of power-plays, but that doesn't mean the game is better.
It's unfortunate that the WHL followed the NHL's lead. Going to the rink just isn't as fun anymore. I bet many of the players feel the same way, and it won’t be long until we start hearing from more of them. That is, of course, as long as the “gag” order has been lifted.

PG Cougars coach Mike Vandekamp tried to take some of the pressure off his team during a scheduled meeting last week with WHL staff, in Calgary. Vandekamp, in the midst of the team's first losing streak, since he took over as coach, told league members (with his players looking on), in not so pleasant terms that he wasn't impressed with the officiating in the league, and that his team is getting a raw deal. 

This isn't the first time, and won't be the last; a coach of a struggling team has tried to make an issue of refereeing when things are going bad. It's not like the Cougars never get an opportunity to go on the power play. As a matter of fact, in their last game, a 3-2 loss to Kootenay, they finally ended an 0 for 39 drought with the man advantage. Then again, losing close games due to a lack of a power play must be the referee’s fault.

From the quote rack:


--Jean van de Velde, who lost the 1999 British Open on the final hole, on entering the (2006) women’s British Open. "I know we have an unfair advantage, so if we have an unfair advantage, let them play with themselves and let us play with ourselves".


--Headline in the Merced (Calif.) Sun-Star, after Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb threw a game-losing interception against the Dallas Cowboys just after the Eagles suspended Terrell Owens. "A T.O. worse than Owens."

--Tee shirt spotted in the stands at that Eagles/Cowboys Monday Night game. “You Can't Spell IDIOT Without a “T” and an “O” .


--Janice Hough of Palo Alto, California in Tom Fitzgerald's syndicated column. "Good thing about the new NBA dress code. When players get arrested they will already be dressed for court."

And, how is your week?

--Hartley Miller is the sports director for radio stations 94X and the Wolf@97FM. He also writes for the PG Free Press, and is author of You Don't Say (Andrews-McMeel, 2005

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