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Hartley Miller's Slap Shots - April 14th Edition

By Hartley Miller

-by Hartley Miller

Have you ever thought about how fun it is to watch the out of town hockey scoreboard ? During the W-H-L season, Prince George fans were constantly monitoring results from the Kamloops Blazers games as the two teams battled for a final playoff spot. In the N-H-L, it’s even more intriguing, with so many teams contending for a post-season spot.

Canuck fans were not just interested in how Vancouver played on a particular night, but had their ears and eyes tuned into games involving Edmonton, San Jose, Colorado, Anaheim and Calgary.

This playoff race has demonstrated that there’s no need to change the playoff format. The speculation is the N-H-L may add two teams, in each conference, which could result in 10 teams that qualify for the playoffs, instead of 8. This is a mistake, with less drama, resulting in less fan interest. In the Eastern Conference, for example, the Toronto Maple Leafs might have snuck into the playoffs had 10 teams qualified. However, The Leafs certainly didn’t deserve a post-season spot. (By the way, the nice thing with them out of the running is that we don’t have to be subjected to all the Toronto TV nausea).

The “new” NHL returned stronger this season than many of us had anticipated. The league made many changes, but the one they didn’t make (increasing playoff teams) may have been their best move yet. 

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I’ve never been a fan of the page playoff format in curling. The Brier, Scott Tournament of Hearts and the World Men’s and Women’s Curling Championships use this system.

The page playoff format starts after the round robin with the first and second place teams playing each other. The winner advances to the final, while the loser plays in the semi-final. The third place team plays team four, with the winner advancing to the semi-finals, thus eliminating the loser.

I don’t like the format because team two gets nearly all the perks of team one. The only difference is that the first place team will get last rock advantage in the first end when they play the second place team. My suggestion for change: Team One earns a bye and Team Two vs Team Three in the semi-final. However, this would eliminate two playoff games, and this wouldn’t suit the television needs, and we all know, what gets priority. 


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There has been heated discussion recently about Prince George Youth Soccer Association’s Technical Program Director, Romeo Jozak. Specifically, the controversial issue is about whether the PGYSA can afford his annual salary of $60,000. In addition to this base salary, Jozak is also able to supplement his income by conducting various clinics, camps and seminars. 

The 33 year-old Jozak returns to Prince George from Germany April 20th to resume his duties, but if the two parties fail to agree on a two year signed contract by May 29th, Jozak is expected to leave the city and pursue job opportunities in Europe. No one has ever questioned his qualifications, (having worked at the pro level in Croatia & Libya) but of course, it comes down to a matter of dollars and cents. 

A comparison to United States shows a remarkable difference in laying cash on the line for coaches’ salaries. For instance, three high school football coaches in the Dallas area are paid more than $100,000 US per season. By the way, the average teacher’s salary in the same area is $41,000.
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From the quote rack:

"Florida got a congratulatory phone call from President Bush. UCLA shot so badly they got a phone
call from Dick Cheney."
--NBC’s Jay Leno, on the 2006 NCAA basketball final

"And then Dick Cheney shot an old guy out of the upper deck.’’ .
--Jay Leno, on President Bush throwing the first pitch prior to the Cincinnati Reds-Chicago Cubs game

"I think it’s like throwing cookies at the Cookie Monster."
--Rob Neyer of ESPN.com, on a plastic syringe thrown in the direction of alleged steroid user Barry Bonds on Opening Day of the Major League season.

"They’re called Ryan Leaf Burgers.’’
--Contributor Bill Littlejohn of South Lake Tahoe, California, after a Burger King customer was charged $4,334.33 on his debit card instead of $4.33

"For anyone I cheap-shotted in the past, you’re too late to get me back.’

--Adam Deadmarsh of the Los Angeles Kings, at his retirement ceremony.


"How would you know? When I played, you were in your third year of eighth grade."
--Anaheim Mighty Ducks broadcaster and former NHL goalie Brian Hayward, during a confrontation with Sean Avery where the Kings forward accused Hayward of being a lousy player.


And how was your week?

Hartley Miller is the sports director for radio stations 94X and the Wolf@97fm. He also writes for the PG Free Press.



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