CBC brings Milbury aboard

From William Houston of the Globe & Mail:

Signing analyst Mike Milbury to a multiyear contract rates as Hockey Night in Canada's most important acquisition in years.

The deal — two years plus an option — was announced yesterday after Milbury failed to reach a contract extension with TSN.

In just one NHL season with TSN (and also NBC), Milbury has developed into a top studio analyst, largely by mixing humour with hard-hitting commentary.

"I think it's a huge acquisition," Scott Moore, the head of CBC Sports, said. "If he's not the best, he's one of the top two or three [studio analysts] in the business."

Read the entire article here.

I can't say I agree with Milbury very often, but he is certainly an entertaining television personality. He always brings a passionate opinion and should infuse even more life into the CBC broadcasts.

Bob Cole is enjoying a comeback season at CBC

Chris Zelkovich of the Toronto Star: "But as Cole showed again on Saturday night during the opener of the Stanley Cup final, he's enjoying a bit of a revival a year after most had written him off. Sure, there was plenty of evidence that Cole's not the play-by-play guy he used to be – regularly failing to identify players and missing the obvious from time to time – but there's also enough to indicate he's still one of the best in the game."

Here is the full article from the Toronto Star.

I will admit it. I get razzed sometimes because I still think Bob Cole is great. For me, it isn't a big game if Bob Cole isn't calling the game. While I understand he gets criticized for being partial to certain teams or misidentifying the players from time-to-time, his voice makes the game that much more meaningful. Let's enjoy his last few seasons at CBC instead of calling for his retirement.

The HD Corner - Stanley Cup Final Preview

Due to the overwhelming success of my recent preview, the editors at Illegal Curve thought it was only fitting that I do another preview, this time of the two networks broadcasting the Stanley Cup final. The following is a comparison of CBC’s broadcast team against NBC’s (Versus has games 1 and 2, while NBC will cover the rest using predominantly the same personalities). Now let’s get this party started.

Play by Play
Bob Cole vs. Doc Emrick
Bob Cole will call the action for CBC, and Doc Emrick will man the mike for NBC. Great Scott!!!...Doc wins this battle. Emrick’s calling duties are always dead-on, and he never seems to play favorites, unlike Cole's fetish with the Maple Leafs. Look for Cole to be rooting for fellow Maritimer Sid the Kid and the Pens during this matchup.
Edge: Dock Emrick of NBC

Colour Commentary
Greg Millen vs. Eddie Olczyk
Annoying Greg Millen goes up against Eddie Olczyk here. Although Eddie O does NBC and Versus studio work, he also takes part in colour duties periodically. The former productive NHLer and Pens coach brings a tremendous amount of enthusiasm, but will sway his vote towards the Pens. Millen on the other hand was a terrible NHL goalie, but does bring some interesting insight from seeing so many pucks go in through is five-hole. If this was any other series, Eddie O would get the nod, but due to his penchant for cheering for the Pens, I regrettably give this category to Millen.
Edge: Greg Millen of CBC

Best Jewish Personality
Elliotte Friedman vs. Pierre McGuire
Rumoured to be partially of the Jewish faith, I’m hard pressed to admit that there is a possibility Pierre and I could share a bowl of borscht at a downtown Montreal deli someday. He is so annoying and pompous, that he makes it an easy decision to tune into CBC. Elliotte Friedman on the other hand is a real mench, with great sideline reports throughout the series, and a history of asking the tough questions. And no, I don’t mean him asking “why is this night different from any other night?” twice a year.
Edge: Elliotte Friedman of CBC

Most Colourful
Don Cherry vs. John Vanbiesbrouck
Donald S’s crazy suits give him the edge in this category alone, not to mention his brief run-in with the 10 second audio delay on Coach’s Corner back in the day. His wit, coaching insight, and love of all things Canadian makes him a must see every night of the playoffs. Now onto the Beezer….The editors at Illegal Curve will have a conniption if I make this next joke about his colourfulness. Let’s just give the edge to Grapes and be done with it.
Edge: Don Cherry of CBC

Most Likely to have your Back in a Brawl
Scott Oake vs. Christine Simpson
You don’t want to mess with Scott Oake and his towering 6’9” frame, the Zdeno Chara of the CBC broadcasting team. Despite his hair plugs being quite obvious when seen in HD, his mammoth hands alone would crush anyone that tried to tell him that the Jets aren’t someday coming back to his hometown. For NBC, the ever-so manly Christine Simpson could definitely drink NBC studio host Bill Clement under the table, and also uses less hair spray than her cocky brother and CBC competitor, Craig. Scott Oak wins for his custom tailored Moore’s suits.
Edge: Scott Oake of CBC

Final Verdict:
CBC gets the nod. Let the games begin!

Cold Hard Rants

Fresh off my dip in the swimming pool, while enjoying a bright, warm, sunshiny day in Winnipeg, what best to do other than talk about the Stanley Cup Finals? The finals, which begin Saturday, live from HockeyTown, in front of a capacity crowd of people masquerading as row upon row upon row of empty seats in the Joe Louis Arena, the youthful exuberance of the Pittsburgh Penguins will face off against the veteran smarts and ingénue of the Tre Kroner of the Swedish National Team Detroit Red Wings?

Many commentators, in their previews, are speculating that this series will spark a potential renaissance of the NHL; the series that will force the NHL back into the forefront of the consciousness of the American viewer. One of the marquee franchises, pitted against the future of the game in a battle for NHL supremacy. The finals that will re-create the famed SI cover that said the NHL was hot and the NBA was not.

While I think that the NHL lucked out in getting as good of a match up as it could have possible wished for, I also think they are (typically) unlucky in that at the same time as their marquee match up is “dropping puck”, the NBA conference finals and Championship Finals will be hitting their stride. Unfortunately, the NHL will only take to the forefront of American sports consciousness when the viewing public have no better options to occupy their sport-watching time (heavens forbid they exercise). With their being a very good chance that the Los Angeles Lakers will be meeting the Boston Celtics in the NBA championship, the NHL will not get their place in the forefront; they will be lucky to get 5 minutes in the 2 AM SportsCentre on ESPN Desportes.

Despite this, the tall foreheads in New York and Toronto couldn’t be more excited. The network executive/janitor in charge of Versus couldn’t be more excited. NBC couldn’t be more excited (unless the game runs long, in which case it will be pre-empted for the finals of the 2008 senior women’s amateur heads up poker championship). CBC couldn’t be happier that they don’t have to broadcast an abomination of a final involving two teams from cities more likely to get hit by a hurricane than actually have ice form. And I couldn’t really care less, but because, ostensibly, you have come to this site because you like hockey, I will keep my apathy to myself for now. So, let the puck drop. Let the skates glide, let the sticks slash, and let the home team fall behind. Lord knows this year has to end soon, as training camp begins in 2 months.

For Illegal Curve, I am Andrew (Drew) M.

About the author: Writing sporadically since the inception of illegal curve, (An)Drew has been alienating people since that time. He has the unique skill-set to alienate readers hailing from the Westchester area of New York. Those people seem to be especially touchy about people criticizing their newspapers. Who needs them? Just like the Jews and the Blacks. (It’s from a Seinfeld Episode, you Anti-Dentite bastard.)

Stanley Cup Final Announcers

The CBC broadcasters have been set for the Stanley Cup final, with Bob Cole and Greg Millen calling all of the action between the Pens and Wings starting Saturday night. William Houston of the Globe and Mail details it here.

Analysis: Cole is old and senile. It should be Jim Hughson’s time to shine. Although Cole’s work this year has been better than in previous seasons, Hughson is the superior announcer. Axing Harry Neale from the finals is a smart move, although Millen will likely have worn out his welcome by the time the second period of game three rolls around.

The HD Corner - First Round Report Card

With the first round coming to a dramatic close, I thought it was time to unveil my first round report card for the Canadian broadcasters. Now, without further adieu:

Bob Cole and Greg Millen: C+
Montreal vs. Boston

Cole and Millen’s first round work was nothing spectacular, with Cole making his usual blunders every so often. Their game seven work was fine, however one large omission did occur during game six. An interesting storyline developed when Tim Thomas’ mask broke, which required him to go to the Bruins’ bench twice during TV timeouts. Apparently the strap on his mask couldn’t be repaired and he had to hold it in between his teeth for the remainder of the period until the intermission. Obviously viewers weren’t aware of his troubles since they occurred during TV timeouts, and it would have been nice if Millen had made a comment or two instead of focusing on “Big” Zdeno Chara.

Further, Kessel’s first goal in game six was no doubt outstanding, and CBC missed the boat without directly comparing it to the similar goal he scored at the World Juniors. A few years ago at the World Junior tournament in Grand Forks, Kessel pulled almost the identical move putting the puck past a defender’s legs, jumping around him, and going five-hole.

Jim Hughson and Garry Galley A-
Pittsburgh vs. Ottawa

For those viewers that don’t recall, yes, the Sens were in the playoffs, although not much longer than Alexei Kaigorodov’s career in a Sens uniform. Once the Pens quickly dispatched the Sens, Hughson was seen calling the Colorado-Minnesota series that the CBC sporadically picked up. Galley’s work over the year has improved exponentially, and he deserves to be solidified as the number two colour man. Harry Neale’s time has come. At this point, Neale is more washed up than Fedor Fedorov. Speaking of Neale…

Dean Brown and Harry Neale: B
Nashville vs. Detroit

It’s really a shame that Dean Brown was relegated to this series, as it definitely did not receive the same amount of hype as the Canadian matchups. Sure, the Preds did make it interesting, but game six was possibly the worst game I’ve seen since Kevin Constantine stopped coaching. Brown is usually very accurate with his play calling, although I heard rumours he was hitting it up pretty hard in Music City with Jordin’s pop Barney Tootoo, after game three.

Mark Lee and Craig Simpson: A
Calgary vs. San Jose

Lee and Simpson definitely get the best grade, partly due to the exciting nature of this seven game series. Even when J.R. scored his second goal in game seven and essentially clinched the series, Lee did not show any bias towards cheering for the Flames. One annoying factor with this series was that the Flames home games weren’t in HD – quite ridiculous for the playoffs. Further, CBC’s feed did cut out for a brief period during game seven, but they were quick to pick up the Versus feed starring Lighting play-by-play man and former Whalers broadcaster Rick Peckham at the mic.

Gord Miller/Rod Black and Pierre McGuire: B
Colorado vs. Minnesota Jose and Washington vs. Philadelphia

I’m not sure what has been the more obscure story line so far: Guy Carbonneau’s tie or Gord Miller’s throat. In case anyone thought they were having a mild hallucination during game two of the Colly-Minni series, don’t fret: Rod Black was indeed calling the game. Black was summoned to call the game on a last minute request due to Gord Miller contracting a throat infection and unable to call the game (that’s just too easy to make a joke here). Overall, Black’s work was quite impressive considering his lack of hockey calling experience, and only mentioned the Jays amicably parting ways with the Big Hurt twice during the broadcast. TSN’s patented “between the glass” calling technique with Pierre in the box at ice level always keeps things interesting, although I’d much rather see Pierre locked in a trunk for three hours instead.

Chris Cuthbert and Glen Healy: B+
Colorado vs. Minnesota

This duo was also seen calling the Colly series for TSN, and it is apparent Cuthbert needs to be TSN’s go to guy. Why not try pairing him with Pierre for a game, and leaving Healy to call the Women’s World Broomball Championships?

Things will likely get interesting with the World Hockey Championships starting in Halifax next week, on TSN. With Randorf finishing his duties for the Under 18 Championship, he could get the call, although bringing Vic Rauter out of the woodwork would be highly appreciated!

Enjoy the second round everyone.

News You Can Use Late in the Day

1. Canada defeats Finland at World Under-18's. Advances to semi-finals.
2. The 1976 Canada Cup team will hold a reunion in Halifax.
3. An interesting article from the National Post as to why Michael Nylander didn't sign in Edmonton.
4. Time Warner Cable (upstate New York) bumped the 3rd period of the Wild-Avalanche game to air a Victoria Principal infomercial. Still better than watching the Wild, no?
5. Hitler's reaction to the Canucks missing the playoffs.
6. The CBC will show more Canadiens games in prime time next season.
7. Adam Proteau attributes the Predators' loss to bad luck.
8. The CBC is targeting Chinese fans with hockey broadcasts in Mandarin.
9. Prospect Casey Pierro-Zabotel has been signed by the Penguins.
10. Mike Brophy wonders what's next for the Ducks?
11. Kevin Smith's final thoughts on the Devils' demise, including an invitation to "entertain" Ranger hockey widows.
12. The NHL is trying to fine Scott Niedermayer $500,000 for missing the first half of the season.
13. Darryl Parks makes his case to the next GM of the Vancouver Canucks. First step: learning to spell "fantasy".
14. Whats next for the Wild.
15. Chris Zelkovich calls for the CBC to check its biases at the door when broadcasting games.
16. Adrian Dater throws Scott Howson under the bus for trading Adam Foote. Illegal Curve thinks that Dater's comments are out of touch. Howson received fair compensation for a guy that wasn't part of the Jackets' plan going forward.
17. Scott Morrison writes that the Canadiens seem unprepared for the Bruins' onslaught.
18. Memorial Cup history from 1928, 1929 and 1930.
19. Has Fabian Brunstrom shifted his focus to the Toronto Maple Leafs?
20. Cue the Brian Burke to Toronto stories.
21. Pierre Lebrun likes the Rangers' chances.
22. Al Strachan comments on the NHL's "Dream Post-season".
23. Yahoo's Ross McKeon on why the playoffs are so great.
24. This week's rumour roundup.
25. Kristian Huselius wins $1 million on a horse bet.

News You Can Use Late in the Day

1. Bob McKenzie offers a postmortem on the Senators.
2. An off-season game plan for the Thrashers.
3. An update on the CHL playoffs.
4. Pierre Lebrun examines Marian Hossa's playoff record.
5. Will AO rediscover his scoring touch?
6. Edward Fraser wonders who will start in goal for the Red Wings in Game 5?
7. For those of you who haven't seen this, check out a weird little Flames fan.
8. Flyers Fans are noted for their originality.
9. NHL.com profiles 5 youngsters making an impact in the playoffs.
10. Another look at Brian Burke's career options.
11. The NHL has rejected an 84 game schedule.
12. Inside the Kings evaluates the talent in Los Angeles.
13. Jim Kelley's thoughts on rebuilding the Senators.
14. Ryan Miller is blogging over at Maxim.com.
15. Memorial Cup History, 1926.
16. If you could only pick one of the four...
17. Ray Emery gives his insight into the Senators' terrible year.
18. Another installment on the Roseau Rams.
19. Quebec's Anglos are not happy with CBC's coverage of the Habs, so are watching on RDS instead.
20. Chris Osgood will get the start for Detroit in Game 5.
21. The Hawks have signed Dan Bertram and Mike Brennan.
22. A little more hockey history.This time the 1938 Cup Winners, the Chicago Blackhawks.
23. A wide ranging post from the Slapshot blog.
24. Globe on Hockey casts its vote for Trevor Linden as the Canucks' new GM.
25. Adam Proteau examines some NHL'ers with something to prove.

The HD Corner - Jim Hughson's Decision

Jim Hughson has finally made his decision that we were all waiting for, and it wasn’t to put John Garrett in a straight jacket for the next Canucks Sportsnet Broadcast. Hughson has made the choice to stick with Hockey Night in Canada, and say good-bye to his Sportsnet Pacific duties.

A barometer by which all play-by-play broadcasters should be measured, Hughson has signed a six year deal with the CBC, and will be Bob Cole’s successor as soon as Cole dies, checks into Shady Acres Mental Institution, or decides to retire. In all likelihood, Hughson will be knighted as the main voice of HNIC within the next season or two.

Hughson’s current deal has him only working the first three rounds of the playoffs, with Cole calling the Cup finals. Obviously this will change once he is the lead man, and will also see him call Jays games on CBC this summer. The extensive travel schedule was a main concern for Hughson, with HNIC being on Saturdays and the Canucks frequently playing on Fridays and Sundays. Lucky for us, Hughson will still be calling a lot of Canucks games on CBC.

Rumoured to fill the void on Sportsnet are John (Shorty) Shorthouse, Kevin Quinn, Don Taylor, and Dan Murphy. Shorthouse is the only non-Sportsnet candidate and currently calls Canucks games on the radio. To say he is a homer is a huge understatement. Next time you catch a Canucks game on Pay Per View (they are simulcasted with the radio) – you’ll be asking for a refund within five minutes. He’s the only one that thought Mattias Ohlund’s slash on Mikko Koivu was a friendly love tap. Quinn is ok, but can get on your nerves quite easily. If I have to hear “Andrew Cogliano…OVERTIME WINNER!” one more time I may move out of Sportsnet West’s broadcast region just to avoid hearing him. As you all know Don Taylor does the late Pacific broadcasts of Sportsnet Connected, and tries to be funny, sometimes too hard. I can’t see him landing this gig. Finally, could Dan Murphy pull a Roger Millions and turn his reporting career into a play-by-play job? Don’t count on it. My biggest thought is will John Garrett, Hughson’s longtime Sportsnet sidekick and colour guy, be involved in the interview process? Now that I would need to see. Somehow I highly doubt that the interview will be as rigorous as one for Med School. Just a hunch. Guaranteed if I showed up with a 6-pack of MGD and a box of Timbits I could get the job.

While were on the topic of broadcasters, check out Illegal Curve’s poll on the right side of this page. If Pierre McGuire gets over three votes, I’m sending our editor a Trojan Horse Virus.

The HD Corner - 2008 All-Star Game

CBC’s coverage of this year’s All-Star game included Jim Hughson doing the play-by-play, with Craig Simpson and Greg Millen crammed into the booth. As usual, Hughson called a flawless game, Simpson provided some insight, and Millen was more annoying than a Carrot Top stand-up routine. There was an increase of in-booth banter due to the friendly nature of the game as expected; however, the folks at Versus seemed to have taken this to a new level. As much criticism as Versus receives for its lack of viewers, they deserve credit for usually providing entertaining broadcasts for their target – something that CBC has been criticized for in the past. Specifically, at one point of the All-Star game telecast, Gary Bettman was invited into the booth and was joking with Blues goalie Manny Legace about large goalie equipment while he was in the process of playing. CBC can learn a thing or two, and ease up on the boring Mike Babcock interview next time around.

Unfortunately my HD-PVR let me down and I was unable to watch the Skills Competition live (according to Illegal Curve’s Cold Hard Rant section, I didn’t miss much). Needless to say I was still able to watch most of it on CBC.ca’s streaming video section, which I highly recommend to anyone wanting to see the incredible Obstacle Course Relay that closely resembled the 1980’s board game Mouse Trap (click here for a trip down memory lane).

Now on to some other random All-Star game thoughts…

Was there anything more awkward then the Elliote Friedman and Samantha Micelli - I mean Alyssa Milano - interview. Wow Alyssa, you have a new NHL clothing line? Will it be available at Stitches, Winners, or Giant Tiger? These are things that I need to know. Speaking of Who’s the Boss, did anyone know that little Jonathan has come out of the closet? The only thing less predictable was Tony Danza’s career going into a downward spiral after playing a male housekeeper for eight years (not that there’s anything wrong with that).

So you’re telling me that Boston Bruins goalie Tim Thomas is an all-star? What, was Jim Carey not available? It’s important to note that Thomas’ goalie coach on the Bruins is non other than Bob Essensa. Yes, a goalie with the nickname “Flipper” has trained and produced an all-star calibre goalie. Further, the same man who once traded Teemu Selanne for Chad Kilger and Oleg Tverdovsky is the head coach of the Eastern Conference All-Stars. Next I’ll find out that Doug Smail is Alex Ovechkin’s power skating coach.

All-Star game MVP? Forget Eric Staal, what about The Hives? Past All-Star Game bands have included the Barenaked Ladies, The Trews, and probably The Harlots, so The Hives were quite the pleasant surprise. The only disappointing fact was that they didn’t play during the 2nd intermission. Instead, we were treated to the funky beats of “Ne-Yo” (whoever that is). Wow they sure now how to party south of the Dixie line!

Although this year’s All-Star Game wasn’t the most entertaining, it did conclude in dramatic fashion and featured an interesting subplot with Sharks goalie Evgeni Nabokov and fan favourite Ilya Kovalchuk of the Thrashers. Click here to see a clip of a few Nabokov-Kovalchuk highlights.

News You Can Use Late in the Day

1. Kalamazoo wins a game in the IHL when they score with 0.1 seconds left on the clock. Big deal. I can score and cuddle in 0.1 seconds.
2. A decision is expected today on the fate of John Ferguson Jr. Update: JFJ fired.
3. Hockey Hearsay reports that Ottawa almost made a trade. Big news day in Ottawa. I almost won the lottery, too.
4. The weekly release from the USHL.
5. Evanka Osmak of Sportsnet does some deep thinking on the All-Star Game. Save yourself the trouble and instead spend 30 seconds checking out her pictures.
6. Just like Regina girls, this guy loves the wood.
7. The Coyotes have inked Ilya "The Human Alphabet" Bryzgalov to a 3 year extension.
8. Evgeni Malkin will replace Sidney Crosby at the All-Star Game in Atlanta.
9. In an effort to make up for yesterday's worst fight ever, please enjoy this goalie fight featuring Illegal Curve favorite, David Reekie. The video is shakier than bigfoot footage, but you get the idea.
10. This week's ECHL update looks at Peder Skinner of the Phoenix Roadrunners. I think Peder Skinner ranks right up there with Corey Pecker as worst hockey name.
11. The Junior Report says that Belleville is the team to beat in the OHL and notes that David Reekie has helped turn around Lincoln's season in the USHL.
12. Cherie Piper has rejoined the Canadian Women's Team after a year-long battle with knee problems.
13. Tyler Cuma of the Ottawa 67's is looking to make an impact at the CHL Prospects game.
14. The Everett Herald examines the consequences for the WHL should Canadian schools join the NCAA.
15. Here is a review on the new documentary following the Baie-Comeau Drakkar of the QMJHL.
16. Ken Campbell notes that internal divisions with the Leafs' braintrust may have cost them Fabian Brunstrom.
17. Good story on Jonathan Morrison, an official in the USHL.
18. Spector provides a list of NHL'ers who may be moved at the deadline.
19. The London Free Press with a story on Yvon Cournoyer. Also check out this video of The Roadrunner. You're welcome Mad Dog.
20. Things are getting testy in NYC.
21. The Hot Prospects list from the Hockey News.
22. Adam Proteau's vision of how the NHL should run.
23. An update on Montreal's prospects in the NCAA system from Hockey's Future.
24. Scott Wraight of SI gives some early predictions for the playoffs.
25. Finally, an article from the CBC not blaming W. for global warming, hangnails and papercuts.

An interview with Scott Morrison

This Tuesday, Illegal Curve conducted an interview with well-renown hockey writer Scott Morrison of CBC and Hockey Night in Canada. Morrison has recently released a book called “By the Numbers.” The book is perfect for those who love hockey and the history of the game because it names the best player to wear every NHL jersey number in the league’s history. Not only does it rate the top player to wear each jersey number, but it includes stories about how the player came to wear that jersey and which other hockey legends donned the same sweater numbers. I just finished the book, and highly recommend it; it can be purchased by clicking here: Hockey Night In Canada: By The Numbers: From 00 to 99.


Here is my transcript with Scott Morrison:

Richard: Thanks for agreeing to the interview Scott. The first question I wanted to ask was how did you come up with the idea for this book?

Scott: Well, the book came about when we were brainstorming in the office one day, trying to come up with different concepts and different things we could do, and Ron MacLean had mentioned being on a radio show and some people had been talking about numbers. So we thought, hey, it might be a neat thing to do our own version. So the original thought was maybe to do ten or twenty numbers and pick the more hotly contested ones and then ultimately we said, well, if we are going to do it, might as well do them all and we’d assemble a list of every player to wear each number and then present it to our panel to figure out who each one was. I knew at that point, already, some different stories about numbers and I thought it might be interesting to tell the stories behind the stories for each number. So it really kind of came about through innocently kicking around the idea.

Richard: Regarding the book, I wanted to ask you whose number was the most difficult to decide/most interesting to debate?

Scott: I mean, there were a lot, when you get to the goalies who wore # 1 and #30, there were some battles there. Also, #16 was interesting and #19 was extremely interesting. I think that #7, #9 and #19 strike me as probably being the more interesting ones, and the most closely contested, other than the goalies.

Richard: All of those numbers make for great debate. I also wanted to ask you a couple of questions regarding the current goings on of the NHL. First off, do you think there is any chance that both John Ferguson Jr. and Paul Maurice are back in their current jobs for the Leafs come next season?

Scott: Oh, I think there is definitely a possibility one, or both, could be back for next season. If they make the playoffs, and have a little bit of success and are a much more competitive team, and a much more consistent team when they get into the playoffs, then I think there is a very good chance that Ferguson would get an extension. Do they have to win a round for that to happen? I think that depends just on the climate and how the team is performing; if they just sneak in, and then they get beaten, that might not bode well for them. But I think if they build some momentum over the year and they start to become a better team, and they get in to the playoffs, and earn their way in (and don’t get blown out in the 1st round) I could see them both back.

Richard: Over in the Western Conference, have you been surprised at how tame Mike Keenan has been behind the Flames’ bench so far this season?

Scott: Yah, he’s been very patient and he hasn’t done anything too severe; I think that speaks to the new situation, he’s got a lot of veteran players there and he is obviously trying to change the way the team is playing, so he is being patient. How much longer that lasts we don’t know; we may see Iron Mike pop off any day now—especially with the way things have been going lately.

Richard: You are right about them changing their system and that taking time. At least from a fan’s perspective, their change in style (to a more aggressive/offensive style of play) has to be a nice change for fans who were growing tired of watching defensive battles.

Scott: Mike isn’t really a defensive coach by any stretch, in terms of that being the only way they play. I mean, he is very much a believer of having a good offense and being very aggressive to get the puck in the other end and then make things happen. So, a lot of his teams are tough, they are hard to play against, and not just defensive teams by any stretch.

Richard: Still on the Flames, do you worry at all about the increased number of minutes that Keenan has given to his horses like Dion Phaneuf, Jarome Iginla, and Daymond Langkow?

Scott: Not necessarily. Those guys are in great shape and Keenan will find time over the course of the year to make sure they get the proper amount of rest. A lot of that is in practice time more than games, to make sure that they get time for their bodies to recover and heal, and Mike’s very good at that. He has always been a guy who has ridden his top players very hard, and given them a lot of time and responsibility; he knows how to make sure they don’t burn out.

Richard: Moving from an offensive coach, to a more defensive coach, what are your thoughts on the job that Ken Hitchcock has done so far in Columbus?

Scott: He is a terrific coach. He has been exceptional everywhere he’s been and I think it is a little unfair that he just gets the label of being a total defensive coach; at the end of the day, you have to deal with what you’ve got and make it work, and he’s obviously got that team playing a lot better at its own end of the rink and its penalty killing has been outstanding, especially to start the season. They have really tightened up, and it is one of those cases where sometimes a good goalie makes a great coach and I think in this case it is a great coach has helped to make a good goalie. Pascal Leclaire has been very steady, but the play in front of him has been excellent and that’s what Ken’s strengths are. He can put a system in play and if the players buy into it, then it generally works. Also, they are scoring their fair share of goals too; I think they have averaged around three goals per game, which isn’t too bad. At the end of the day, they just needed results there and build some confidence and they’ve been able to do it. It was a tough season for him last year, but a lot of the success was borne from the work Hitchcock did last year.

Richard: I also wanted to ask you your thoughts on the struggling Canucks. Although they may have lost some leverage with their defensive injuries, do you foresee that organization making a move for some added offense prior to Christmas?

Scott: They’ve got problems with the three guys out on the blueline for what looks like an extended period ,so that makes everything a little more difficult; it also changes what your expectations are. The biggest challenge for them is that after their top four players of Sedin, Sedin, Morrison, Naslund, there is just such a severe drop-off after those guys; even their top guys have put up good, but not great, numbers. To be successful, that team has to work so hard every night, and that is tough to do. When you go through one long season and you were rewarded for it, and then you start up another year, it is hard to convince yourself that you’ve got dig down every night and do that all over again. Then you add injuries to it, and it’s pretty difficult. They’ve got to, kind of, weather the storm. Remember, they weren’t very good until Christmas last season and we all know what happened after that.

Richard: That is a perfect segway as I wanted to ask you about a team that was terrific up until Christmas last year and then hit the skids and that is Montreal. Once again, they have had a terrific start to the season; do you foresee them sustaining this success for an entire season unlike last year?

Scott: Well, it looks pretty much like it did last year. It’s was a little misleading their record last year because their special teams were really carrying the day. While you’ve got have ‘em (special teams) to be successful, you have to be good five-on-five because inevitably the powerplay is going to dry up and that is what happened last year, that and some injuries. But their goaltending has been terrific, and the special teams have been there, so it has given them a chance to kind of build elsewhere; but they’ve got to get a guy like Ryder going, although Kovalev has been better this season and that’s helped. They don’t really have that sort of first-line star guy so enjoy it while it lasts because it may not last too much longer.

Richard: Well we can be sure the Habs’ fans are enjoying their success for now. Staying inside that division, to what do you attribute Buffalo’s ongoing offensive struggles?

Scott: I’m not really sure, they seem to be kind of finding their way; I mean they lost two great players in Drury and Briere and, while it is nice to say you’ve got the kids to step up, and they've got a lot of talent to fill-in, but they look to be in an adjustment period. I still think they will be fine, it’s just I think the players are being put into different roles and it takes time to adjust to those roles because those were two pretty significant bodies that they lost.

Richard: Before I ask my last question, I wanted to ask you about something you touched on in your blog last week, and that is the Rick Tocchet situation. Overall, do you think the league set a strong precedent for the possibility that another person breaks the rules in the future?

Scott: I think so. I mean, he is going to miss two years and I think that is a pretty severe punishment. Especially for what he did, he didn’t do anything close to, and I’m not saying what he did was right—it was wrong, but he didn’t do anything close to what was advertised in the beginning; so you could argue he was given more than his share of punishment.

Richard: Finally, you have worked prestigious jobs at the Toronto Sun, and Rogers Sportsnet, but I'm wondering what it is like working on Hockey Night in Canada?

Scott: Well it is fun. I mean, it’s a job, but it’s a job you have fun at. The group of people are tremendous from Ron (MacLean) and Don (Cherry), they are all good team players and it is great. You know, it’s still the big show in the big land and it is kind of nice to be a part of something, with all the history and obviously the tradition of it, it is special to be a part of it.

For Illegal Curve, I’m Richard Pollock.

EURO CURVE

Euro Curve takes a look at the latest international hockey headlines.

EURO NIGHT IN CANADA?

- Tonight's feature game between the Montreal Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs, 7 p.m. ET on Hockey Night in Canada on CBC, showcases a myriad of international talent.
Forget the fact that both captains are Scandinavian (Saku Koivu-Finland, Mats Sundin-Sweden)- or that both No.1 goalies are European (Vesa Toskala-Finland, Cristobal Huet-France), the drama lies in the young international talent. Nik Antropov, Andrei Kostitsyn, Mikhail Grabovski, Tomas Plekanec, Alexander Steen, Alexei Ponikarovsky.
Perhaps the most intriguing of all players in this game is Jiri Tlusty, the 2006 1st rounder (13th overall) who has three points in four games with the Maple Leafs. He has looked extremely confident since being recalled due to a rash of injuries to the Toronto foward corps. Enjoy the game, as the end result will undoubtedly have a Euro Curve.

For Illegal Curve, I'm Ezra Ginsburg.

The HD Corner - HD Frustrations

I’m currently in the process of trying to watch a Caps – Sabres game only available in standard def on Bell (sidenote: viewers may have noticed the lack Harry Neale on HNIC tonight due to his Sabres MSG duties). Of course, the MSG broadcast keeps reminding me how the feed is available in HD (locally). So why doesn’t Bell pick up the feed and show it on one of their four HD Centre Ice channels? I have no clue. Instead I’m being tempted by a Lightning – Panthers matchup presented in crystal clear HD and 5.1 Dolby sound. I’d rather watch a Devil Rays – Marlins regular season game. I’m not certain as to how Bell’s HD selection process works, but it really doesn’t make sense when there are several open Centre Ice HD channels not showing anything.

Another point of frustration stems from the fact that the regional Flames and Oilers games (shown in the West region on Sportsnet West) are not available in HD. Instead, West viewers will get treated to an HD rodeo bullfight or other quality programming. Of course the Leafs are the only team that broadcasts select regional games in HD. Click here to find out more about this interesting phenomenon. Luckily, as Houston notes, Canucks games are soon to follow. For our readers on the West coast, I’m dying to know how Dan Murphy’s frosted tips look in HD. Please keep me posted.

On a completely unrelated topic, is Cassie Campbell arguably the worst “sideline” reporter? If anyone caught her interview with Mike Myers during the Leafs game tonight, you’ll know what I mean. Talk about awkward. It made the Suzy Kolber – Joe Namath interview seem normal. At one point she asked Myers around four questions all at once – I practically needed a pad of paper just to keep track of all the questions. Then when Myers asked “…and what was the last question?”, Cassie’s brilliant response was “back to you Bob”. After having the pleasure to meet Cassie at the Aladdin Hotel and Casino in Vegas last year, I can attest to the fact that she is an excellent craps player. She just needs to brush up on her work in front of the camera, that’s all.

The HD Corner - Random Thoughts

Some random HD thoughts:

CBC’s ratings pretty much sucked for the Thursday opening night games. William Houston notes that strict competition from Thursday night’s Prime Time lineup, such as Grey’s Anatomy and Survivor, were likely were mitigating factors for the viewership numbers. Don’t get me wrong, I like Dr. Meredith Grey as much as the next guy (she looked way better five years ago in Old School by the way), but how can you not tune in to watch the Battle of Ontario? I’m sure tonight’s numbers will be back to normal for a classic Habs – Leafs matchup. Let’s hope so, or the media buyer for the Tim Hortons account might pull the plug on airing the new “brother - goalie” commercial if ratings don’t improve quickly.

This being my first year of hockey watching with a Bell ExpressVu HD receiver, I was hoping to be able to watch the random games shown on HDNet this season. Unfortunately this was not the case, at least for Wednesday’s Panthers - Rangers barn burner, which wasn’t available to regular HD subscribers. Chances are it was only shown on HDNet in the U.S. It appears this is a similar case to how Versus (aka OLN) games are only available in the U.S., unless of course you have forked over the 200 bones for the Centre Ice Package. If HDNet does eventually show games in Canada, as opposed to HD Josh Tesh concerts, you will be the first to know.

The aforementioned Panthers – Rangers game was in fact shown on one of the four Centre Ice HD channels available on ExpressVu, so it wasn’t a total loss. And yes, Ville Peltonen does scare me in HD. To my knowledge Centre Ice HD channels are not offered to Shaw subscribers, so chalk another one up in the ExpressVu column.

Finally, I caught Harry Neale’s Buffalo Sabres debut last night during MSG’s broadcast of the Sabres home opener against Mr. Hillary Duff’s Isles. It was a foregone conclusion that Neale would do his usual schtick of “he’s really trying to bleed to get that extra two minutes added to that high-sticking penalty”. It’s OK Harry, I still love you.

The HD Corner - HNIC News

I have two important pieces of information that I'd like to pass onto our readers:

First thing's first. It was announced today that Harry Neale will be Jim Lorentz's replacement on Sabres broadcasts this season. Neale's new position means that he will be leaving his post on Maple Leafs regional broadcasts (he'll still be on HNIC). Little do people know that Neale actually lives in Buffalo, and drives up to Toronto for every Leafs game, so maybe it's not that surprising after all. Despite his age, Neale still is entertaining for the most part as a colour commentator. Although he's usually good for a couple mistakes per game (how many Connolly-Pominville mixups will he make?), he's still quite witty with some good one-liners. And who's filling the void for the Leafs games? Why Greg Millen of course! I'm pretty sure I've mentioned Greg Millen in every HD Corner column so far, and I refuse to mention him again. It's getting kind of stalker-ish. The only person I feel more sorry for is Joe Bowen. Holy Mackinaw! Joe is going to need a heavy dose of Advil to get through this season.

The Globe and Mail is reporting that Ron MacLean has signed a new seven year deal to remain on CBC and HNIC. After initially signing an offer sheet tendered by Kevin Lowe to take over for Gene Principe for Oilers Sportsnet West regional broadcasts, the CBC matched, and have now secured their man. That didn't actually happen - but somewhat plausible, right? All kidding aside, MacLean has in fact signed a seven year contract extension with HNIC. Is there anyone better at his analyst job than MacLean? He knows every possible fact about the game, and is never afraid to ruffle a few feathers with hard-hitting questions. Besides Channukah, my favourite time of year is definitely the All-Star Game, just to see MacLean interview that little weasel Gary Bettman during the first intermission.

The HD Corner - Season Opener in London

Thoughts from the O2 Arena in London (aka my TV in my living room)...

The 07-08 hockey seaon is now officially upon us. Although it was a bit of an early wake up Saturday morning (11am central) to catch the first game from London, it was still thoroughly enjoyable. As usual, CBC's coverage was second to none with its crisp HD feed, along with the always solid Jim Hughson manning the mike. Although he looooooves the Canucks, which is always quite evident on his Sporstnet Pacific broadcasts, Hughson always brings his best effort to the table (I think it has something to with a comfort level from all the years being the play-by-play on EA Sport's NHL series). Greg Millen is OK too, just sometimes really annoying as I've eluded to in previous posts. After a half hour delay due to poor lighting at the O2 Arena, and Ron MacLean, Craig Simpson, and Cassy Campbell painfully killing time, the game finally got underway without a hitch.

After searching around for Sunday's game, and nearly having a conniption that it possibly wasn't being shown, I finally discovered it being broadcast on the NHL Network. Although the sound was brutal and the standard-def picture looked so bad that I thought my contacts were in backwards, strategically, it was a good idea to air the second game on the NHL Network. There is a free preview of the NHL Network until November for digital subscribers, and it's a great way to create some hype and viewership. The only drawback is that it obviously doesn't have the same reach as CBC, but it still seems like a great plan to create urgency for viewers to order the channel for the season if people like what they see. And how could they not - the icing on the cake is that Paul Rominuk and Gary Green were at the helm for the game! Yes! The hockey Gods have spoken.

The HD Corner - HNIC's The Headliner

Well, it’s official. The Headliner on HNIC has been terminated. Tragic, I know. *Tear. No more riveting Scott Oake interviews with Steve Moore about how his NHL career is basically over after that fateful Vancouver evening (Steve Moore had an NHL career? Could have fooled me). No more features with Lou Lamorello showing his office with a chart of every NHL team’s roster. No more stories about Gary Bettman’s failed attempt for hockey to become popular in the U.S. Sunbelt. How on Earth will I be able to survive the hockey season without these informative segments? In all seriousness, The Headliner will be replaced by two new segments called “Inside Hockey” and “Viewpoint”. Both of these new additions sound like they will be pretty much composed of the same content as The Headliner (ie: complete crap).

The biggest news of the day appears to be the fact that The Satellite Hotstove is staying on the air during the 2nd intermission for another season, after some off season rumours that it might be removed from the lineup. Definitely a smart move. Nothing is better on a Saturday night than seeing Pierre LeBrun’s pudgy face crammed into a small quadrant of my TV screen. Unfortunately, CBC will be adding some new personalities in the form of former players and league execs, in addition to the usual journalists normally featured. The best part of the Hot Stove was hearing the latest rumours from all the journalists’ hockey connections. I find it hard to believe that a former player such as Brett Hull would know of any insightful rumours, other than where a new Krispy Kreme franchise is possibly opening.

Finally, William Houston raises an interesting point from his most recent article about analogue vs. digital TV feeds on HDTV’s. NERD ALERT! Basically, what it comes down to is analogue signals on HDTV’s aren’t the greatest but do come out cleaner than digital signals on HDTV’s (I thought this would be the opposite, but what do I know. Sorry…I don’t work at Speaker City). Now that explains why Joe Bowen’s face looked like an old catchers mitt the other night. I knew there had to be some plausible explanation.

The HD Corner - Exhibition Opening Night Thoughts

My first night of hockey watching for the 07-08 season has come to end. NHL Centre Ice subscribers were treated to two games: Sens - Flyers via the local Ottawa Rogers channel, and Leafs-Oilers on Leafs TV (blacked out in the Oilers and Flames regions). Lucky for me I found a diamond in the rough with a Habs-Pens game on RDS. GT's! Remember what I said about how I feel sorry for the folks that settle on watching RDS Habs games during the season, as an alternative to the usual Leafs Saturday night crap that's shown? Well I take that back. Not only is the feed usually excellent quality, even in standard definition, but all these French announcers are actually the best in the biz. Who knew? Simply put, I don't care for any of the pointless analysis that these retired/fat/senile ex-NHLers think provides so much insight to the game. Sure, Greg Millen does provide the odd interesting tid-bit of info sometimes, but usually he's just babbling on about details we've heard a million times like Ray Emery's Mike Tyson Helmet, or the fact that Dustin Penner got cut from his Jr. Team. Big deal. Like do I really need to know that Mervin Cheechoo is in town watching his son play for game 31 of the regular season? When I'm watching on RDS, all I can understand is something to the extent of "Koivu.....Ryder....avec la rondelle....le tir....et le but!". And really that's all I care about. Tell me who's got the puck, who's scored, who's on the ice, but please don't waste my time mentioning how Guillaume Latendresse is a fan favourite because he is from Quebec. I'm trying to watch a hockey game here, not an episode of Access Hollywood.

Moving on, other rumblings in the media world include both CBC and NBC covering the outdoor Pens-Sabres game on New Year's Day. Finally something to watch other than the Cotton Bowl. There is a god! Features apparently this year include blimp shots of the stadium a la NFL football. Can't wait...so as long as Joe Buck doesn't show up to give us his opinion on Eli Manning's bum shoulder.

On that note...time to see Martine Gaillard in action on SportsnetConnected. I'm out.

For Illegal Curve, I'm Neil Rockman.