Is the glass half full or half empty? This is a common expression, used rhetorically to indicate that a particular situation could be a cause for optimism or pessimism; or to simply determine if an individual is an optimist or a pessimist.

 

As you reflect upon the Prince George Cougars year would you consider the Cats season as half full or half empty? Well, it depends on how one wants to look at their “glass”. To this end, I would like to offer 10 examples:

 

 

Half full:   The team improved from 12 wins in 2009/10 to 33 wins in 2010/11.

 

Half empty: The Cats fell from first in their division at mid season and finished fourth out of five.

Half full: The team made the playoffs after failing to qualify the previous year.

Half empty: The Cougars were swept in the first round by Kelowna. In the big picture, were four extra games of experience worth dropping several spots in the bantam draft?

 

Half full: The Cougars had the 4th most goals scored out of 10 teams in the WHL Western Conference with an average of just over 3 ½ per game. They also added 13 in the playoffs, an average of 3 1/4 per game.

Half empty:   The Cats gave up the second most goals in the regular season in the west and then allowed Kelowna to average a whopping 5 ½ goals per game in the post season.

Half full: The Cougars outscored the Rockets 11-10 in the first 40 minutes in their playoff series and twice enjoyed two goal leads late in the second period.

Half empty: The Rockets outscored the Cougars 12-2 in crunch time, in the 3^rd period of those same playoff games.

Half full: Defensemen Sena Acolatse (7) and Martin Marincin (5) averaged more than a point per game in the playoffs against the Rockets.

Half empty: Acolatse was a -5 and Marincin a -4 in the plus-minus department over the four games. In fact, the only Cougar with a plus rating was Taylor Stefishen at plus-1.

Half full: Brett Connolly put up good numbers as the 18-year old captain with 46 goals and 73 points in just 59 games.

Half empty:   Connolly was a -5, which put him in the middle of the pack on the team. He also missed two weeks with a knee injury in the second half of the season and most of the Kelowna series with a separated shoulder. Connolly was sidelined a majority of the previous year with a hip injury. Is this a case of bad luck or is durability an issue?

Half full: The team had two goalies in Ty Rimmer and James Priestner with a great attitude that combined for six shutouts. Priestner was also named CHL goalie of the week in late December/early January.

Half empty:   Priestner had the worst save percentage (0.878) among all 31 WHL goalies with a minimum of 1,440 minutes played in the regular season. Rimmer has the second worst save percentage (0.833) among all league goalies with a minimum of 4 games in the playoffs.

 

Half full: The Cougars had the fourth best penalty killing in the Western Conference in the regular season only behind Spokane, Kelowna and Portland.

Half empty:   The Cats had the second worst power play in the West, only ahead of Everett.

 

Half FULL: The team has up to 20 players eligible to return next season, with 10 of them having
a 1992 birth date.

Half empty: Is quantity better than quality? The Cougars did not have one first or second team Western Conference all-star. In addition, not one of their players was a Western nominee for an individual award.

FYI: None of their five 1993 born players are expected to be a high round pick in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft and it’s a safe bet most will not be selected.

Half full: The Cougars had three games of excellent attendance with crowds of 5,095 on opening night October 1st, 5,221 on Teddy Bear toss night on December 18th and 4,770 on March 19th which was their final regular season game. Moreover, CN was sold out with nearly 6,000 fans in the stands for the CHL Subway Super Series game in November featuring Team Russia against Team WHL.

Half empty: The Cougars had 19 nights of attendance below 2,000, including a record low count of 1,535 on December 14th. There were another 13 home games between the 2,000 and 2,300 mark. The two playoff games at CN Centre of 2,475 and 2,345 fans total a combined figure of 4,820 which is less than opening night.

So, which glass are you drinking from? 


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Did the Prince George Spruce Kings need to endure the charade of advertising their head coaching job? After receiving over 40 applications, only one was given an interview and that was the incumbent Dave Dupas, who took over on an interim basis midway through the season.

 

I take no issue with Dupas signing a three-year contract to continue as Head Coach, but why pretend the position was open? Team President Darcy Buryn stated the executive, GM Mike Hawes and the returning players all wanted Dupas back and he deserved a chance to continue what he started. Fair enough.

 

But, I scratch my head again with Buryn insisting that the process was transparent. If so, other candidates would have been given the courtesy of an interview. Oh I see, maybe a Ken Hitchcock type of candidate was going to apply and want to come to P.G. for 50 grand a year.

 

Was that the NCAA men’s basketball final or a Grey Cup game?
This could have been the first NCAA basketball final decided by penalty kicks.

Connecticut received a phone call from President Obama. But with their shooting Butler will probably be getting a call from Dick Cheney.

Butler coach Brad Stevens sure looked like he needed a stiff drink after the game. Too bad he isn't old enough to legally buy one.
Contributor Janice Hough of Palo Alto, California (www.leftcoastsportsbabe.com)

 

This was the first NCAA Finals in which both teams' shooting percentages were lower than their graduation rates.

 

I'm not saying the NCAA Finals were bad, but even the Black Eyed Peas were saying "what the hell was that?"

 

  

In a recent four-month period, a honeymooning Swedish newlywed couple survived six natural disasters--a monster snowstorm, a major tsunami, two earthquakes, catastrophic flooding, and a cyclone as they made their way through the doomed itinerary of Germany, Bali, Australia, New Zealand, and Japan. But none of these prepared them for what they witnessed on Monday night---the combined shooting of Butler and Uconn.

 

Butler, shooting 18 per cent, became the first team in Championship Game history that shot below a credit card interest rate.

 

McDonald's says it wants to hire 50,000 new employees in a single day. After Monday night, 12 of them will probably come from Butler University.
Contributor Bill Littlejohn of South Lake Tahoe, California

 

 

NBA ref-turned-clothier Rashan Michel says he attacked Atlanta Hawks TV analyst Dominique Wilkins because Wilkins hasn't made good on the $15,000-plus Wilkins owes him for high-end haberdashery. Wilkins, we assume, might have plans to add another suit. 

 

 

A study out of the U.S. says women with two or more children have different fathers for the children 25% of the time. The statistic goes up in Cities where there is an NBA franchise.

 

Manchester United forward Wayne Rooney was penalized 2 games for swearing after scoring a goal. If the rule was applied to other sports some NHL players would receive the death penalty.
Contributor Derek Wilken of Calgary (http://smacksport.blogspot.com/)

 

Canadian Matt Stairs made major league history by starting the season with the Washington Nationals - his record 13th different ball club. He's been active on more rosters than Alyssa Milano.

 

Model Orit Fox was taken to hospital after a boa constrictor she was posing with dug its fangs into one of her surgically enhanced breasts. And the Montreal Canadiens think they're snake bitten with injuries? 

 

 

 

 

Charlie Sheen got a standing ovation for his stage show in Chicago. Remember, these same people
love the Cubs.