Hartley Miller's Slap-Shots January 18th Edition

By Hartley Miller

As the (Jan 10^th) junior hockey trade deadline approached, teams usually fell into one of the following three categories:

1. Buyer:  Player(s) that theoretically should help a team in the immediate future,
2. Seller:  Teams trade high end talent that have a half a season remaining in return for younger players that may produce long term dividends.
3. Stand Pat:  Remain with the status quo, and do not make roster changes. 

There are pro’s and cons to all these aforementioned positions.

The Moose Jaw Warriors were buyers when they obtained 19 year olds Ty Wishart, and Evan Fuller from the Prince George Cougars for 16-year-old Justin Maylan, 18-year-old Brad Riege, and a first round bantam draft pick.

On the other hand, the Cougars were the sellers and continued in this mode when they sent 19-year-old blue-liner, Jesse Dudas, to Swift Current for 17-year-old goalie Ian Curtis.

Meanwhile, a team like the Kelowna Rockets fell into the stand pat category because they did not make any noticeable changes.

The Prince George Spruce Kings were one of the few teams that really didn’t fit into one specific group, but seemed to dip their trade claws into a couple categories. They were sellers when they granted their all-star captain, Ryan DeVries, his wish by moving him to a contender, the Fort McMurray Oil Barons (AJHL) for future considerations.  However, they became buyers when they added 19-year-old forward Morgan MacLean to their roster, in a deal with the Grande Prairie Storm (AJHL). 

Maclean played with the PG Cougars this season, but on the deadline day, he was demoted to Grande Prairie. At times, Maclean was an occasional healthy scratch for the Cougars, due to his insubordination (i.e. violating curfew).  However, prior to leaving town, the Spruce Kings jumped into the act by arranging for him to stay in PG.  Maclean who has obvious WHL talent, quickly delivered for his new club on a line with the team’s leading scorer, Jordy Christian, earning seven points in his first two games.

So, should the Spruce Kings have taken a gamble on a player that, from time to time, appeared to be in the dog house of his previous team? The answer is yes, with reservations. Maclean deserves a fresh slate, but based on some of his poor past decisions, he should be held accountable for his actions, as soon as he dawned a King uniform. In other words, as long as he is producing on the ice (which may be the easy part), and following team policy, then no problem. However, if his off ice behavior sprouts, the Spruce Kings should take action, and send him elsewhere. The image of a team can sometimes be more important than the results.

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Remember the last weekend of the NFL regular season when many playoff teams rested several regulars rather than trying to win? Dallas and Indianapolis fell in this category of tanking it, and were beaten in week 17. Interestingly, the Cowboys and Colts both were upset at home in their first playoff game. The previous weekend, Tampa and Pittsburgh also lost at home in their only playoff game, after using a "B" line-up to close the regular season. It should be noted that three of the teams in the Conference finals Sunday (New England, San Diego and Green Bay) all won their regular season finale, and the other team, the New York Giants, played all their guys and tried to win against New England. They at least gave the unbeaten Patriots a scare rather than just rolling over.  The message appears to be clear; regardless of the standings, and the importance (or lack of) of a regular season game, teams should be willing to risk injury, in return for making an all out effort to win. Then, the fans benefit, the team maintains credibility, the game has more interest, and based on this season, the results will be better in the long run. And that (results) is what it’s all about!

From the quote rack:

“What’s with all the tears lately? Hillary Clinton cries and she wins, Terrel Owens cries when he loses and Toronto Maple Leaf fans cry when they are playing. When told that crying is a political asset Mark Messier broke down and admitted he is thinking of running for office.”Contributor Derek Wilken of Calgary (http://smacksport.blogspot.com/)

“Vancouver Canucks goalie Roberto Luongo has announced he will skip the NHL All-Star game to spend time with his pregnant wife, Gina. This is another example of why the NHL is different from the NBA.  In the NHL they get their WIVES pregnant."Comedy writer Janice Hough (www.leftcoastsportsbabe.com) of Palo Alto, California.

“The new walk-on theme music for Seattle kicker Josh Brown: ’Chestnuts Roasting.’” Scott Ostler of the San Francisco Chronicle, on Seahawks kicker Josh Brown wearing heated pants for Seattle’s only playoff game in Green Bay.

“Michael Vick has been transferred to a minimum security compound at Leavenworth Penitentiary.  I guess they feel that his bark is worse than his bite"
Contributor Bill Littlejohn of South Lake Tahoe, California

“In other words, the key players in the Pacers’ lineup will be point guard, shooting guard and security guard." Reggie Hayes, of the Fort Wayne News-Sentinel, after Jamaal Tinsley of the Indiana Pacers planned to hire protection after a late-night incident involving being shot.

“It seems the ref -- who was also a policeman -- got his gun after he was mobbed by players for giving one of them a red card. Luckily no one was killed, which would have resulted in a coroner kick.”Ian Hamilton of the Regina Leader Post after a referee pulled a gun during a recent soccer game in Malaysia.

And in case you missed it:

Nearly a million. The average salary for a Division I U.S. college football head coach last season was $950,000.

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. Send along a quote, note or anecdote to hmiller@94xfm.com

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