Hartley Miller's Slap-Shots, April 18th,2008

By Hartley Miller

It may be scary but here are my Random thoughts:

Ø  Last week's question was what happened to the Vancouver Canucks? This week, it is what happened to Canucks GM Dave Nonis? Didn't I just write in my last column that Nonis' job should be safe but if things don't improve next season he will be fired?  

Well, so much for patience and assessing his total 3 year job performance. I know most of the fans agree with this move because they want someone to “pay the price” for Vancouver's non playoff season.  I am sure when a replacement is named the debate as to whether the Canucks have upgraded in this department will begin. I'm betting that this won’t be the case. This was a panic move, based on emotion and disappointment by owner, Francesco Aquilini.  Nonis was not a great General Manager, but he should have been given another chance. It's too bad that this chance won't be in Vancouver.

Ø  I would like to clarify that the Vancouver Canucks did not have a winning record. They finished with a record of 39-33, with 10 losses in either overtime or a shootout. It doesn’t matter how one analyzes this, 39 wins in 82 games results in a below .500. Case closed.

Ø  Interestingly, the Carolina Hurricanes finished with 43 wins, tied for the 4^th most in the 15-team Eastern Conference, yet they did not qualify for the Stanley Cup playoffs. I guess the new NHL isn't about “winning” after all.

Ø  For those keeping tabs….. no team with a European captain has won Lord Stanley's mug. 9 of the 30 NHL teams have a European wearing the “C”, with three of these teams having a realistic chance this year including: Detroit with Niklas Lidstrom; New York Rangers with Jaromir Jagr and Montreal with Saku Koivu. 

Ø  Speaking of the Habs….If they do win the Stanley Cup, Koivu's contribution will be minor compared to that of Williams Lake’s pride and joy, Carey Price. The 20-year-old rookie
is outplaying many goalies in the playoffs including Martin Brodeur of New Jersey and JS Giguere of Anaheim, both of whom have Stanley Cup rings. So much for the “E” word (Experience).

Ø  I'm still trying to understand which regular season move back-fired the most-The Ottawa Senators firing Head Coach John Paddock, or the Moose Jaw Warriors giving up a first round bantam draft pick plus Justin Maylan and Brad Riege to the PG Cougars for 19-year-olds Ty Wishart, Evan Fuller and a third round bantam pick?  The Warriors were 7^th in the East at the time of the deal. They finished 8^th and were ushered out of the playoffs by Calgary in the first round.   Actually, the more I think of this deal, the Warriors decision was the dumbest.   Did I just give the Cougars a backhanded compliment? I believe I did.  (By the way, The WHL Bantam Draft will be held May 1^st in Calgary. The Saskatoon Blades, with the PG Cougars pick, will select 3^rd overall, while Prince George, with the Moose Jaw pick, with have the 11^th choice)

Ø  The PG Farr Fabricating Cougars final game at the Kamloops International Bantam Hockey Tournament was a 5-4 loss to Saskatchewan champion, Warman Wildcats.  It's been an emotional season for Warman, who shortly after winning its provincial championship
found out its head coach, Ted Priel, lost his battle with cancer. He was 64.

Ø  I realize Kevin Martin may not be the most popular curler of all time, but even his World championship rink deserved better TV coverage at the World Men's Curling Championship in Grand Forks, North Dakota. TSN ignored the event, CBC was there for some of the playoffs, and CBC's Bold network aired a few selected round robin draws and playoff games. Bold is Canada’s equivalent to Versus in the United States, the network that airs NHL games. They are the channels that very few people knows about, let alone subscribe to.

Ø  This year's Masters was one of the least memorable, due in part to a lack of a “big moment”. Tiger Woods may have finished second, but surprisingly wasn't a real threat. Trevor Immelman, who led from wire to wire, joined Gary Player as the second South African to win the first of the Grand Slam PGA tournaments.   Many elements make the Masters special; however, not the least of which is the small amount of television commercials. In this day and age, golf fans should be grateful.

Ø  I don't know how closely you follow the NBA; but the 9^th place team in the Western Conference (Golden State) finished with a winning percentage of nearly .600, and missed the playoffs, while the 8^th place team in the East (Atlanta) was well below .500 and qualified for the post-season. Are you sure Gary Bettman isn't running the league?

From the quote rack:

“Or as John Daly calls it, every day.” Vancouver comedian Torben Rolfsen, on the one-hour fog delay (Thursday) at the Masters.

“Portland Trailblazers injured center Greg Oden was criticized for playing a pick-up game with his beer league buddies with management saying they didn't care how many of the Knicks were his friends.”Contributor Derek Wilken of Calgary (http://smacksport.blogspot.com/)

“A Pennsylvania woman who claims that Michael Jordan is the father of her child is calling for him to submit to a third paternity test. So, there's a chance Jordan may be going for another three-peat.” Contributor Bill Littlejohn of South Lake Tahoe, California

“Protesters fought with police in London trying to stop the Olympic torch. It would have been simpler had they just asked the government to ship the torch on British Airways. No one would ever see it again.” Contributor Janice Hough of Palo Alto, California (www.leftcoastsportsbabe.com)

“CNN show host Larry King, coaching his 9-year-old son's Beverly Hills Little League team, got into a squabble with umpires and had to be told to tone down his act, the New York Observer reported.  No truth to the rumor he's been suspendered for two weeks."  Dwight Perry of the Seattle Times

“Heard the Capitals were looking at bolstering their physical element by bringing in Turner Stevenson to play with light-as-a-feather Nicklas Backstrom and Alex Ovechkin. The line will be known as Backstrom-Turner-overdrive." Dave Gross of Canwest News Service

And in case you missed it:

--The Vancouver Canucks were one of 10 teams in the NHL without a 30-goal scorer this season.

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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