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The
Mayon Event...West division
The
Mayon Event...Central division
The
Mayon Event...East division
Guys
whose Mother's don't even like 'em
Team
toughness...West division
Team
toughness...Central division
Team
toughness...East division
P.O.W...Punch
up Of the Week
The
FM Says 2000/2001 season
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March 28/2001
Re: Racism in the dub.....Jordon Tootoo article
in The Winnipeg Sun.
Racism is alive and well in our society, we all know that. So why would the hockey world be any different?
Despite efforts to educate and sensitize over the years, every so
often a player, ususally in the heat of battle, will open his mouth and
reveal an ugly side that's usually kept well below surface.
There have been some well-publicized incidents in the NHL the last
few years, even one surrounding a member of the Manitoba Moose last season.
Well, the ugliness has surfaced again, this time in the WHL playofff
series between the Brandon Wheat Kings and the Swift Current Broncos, who
sqaured off in Game 4 of their first-round matchup at the Arena last night.
Wheat King's forward Jordin Tootoo says a member of the Broncos
directed a racial slur at him in Game 2 of the series, Saturday, in Swift
Current.
CALLED HIM A "SQUAW"
Tootoo, who's Inuit,says the player called him a "squaw". He
didn't wasnt the palyer named. Suffice to say it was one of the better
palyers on the ice.
"I don't try to make a big deal of it," Tootoo said yesterday.
"I just laugh at them. They don't know what they're talking about."
Fiercly proud of his heritage, and respected for his ability and
toughness, Tootoo says he doesn't hear racial slurs as often as he used
to. He recalls one incident last season in which a player said something,
then apologized after the game.
The Swift Current player has yet to apologize.
"There is a policy - zero tolerance," WHL commisioner Ron Robison
said from his Calgary office. "Any racial slur reported to us would
be dealt with immediately and severely."
The only problem is, Robison wasn't aware of the incident until
he was informed by The Sun yesterday. That, despite indications
that game officials have received several complaints this season.
Wheat Kings captain Brett Girard, who plays on the same line as
Tootoo says, he's heard three or four racial slurs directed at Tootoo in
the second half of the season.
"Any time we hear something, we go tell the ref or linesman," Girard
said.
In the latest incident, Tootoo says he asked the linesman if he
heard the comment. He hadn't. It appears if the officials didn't
hear it, it didn't happen.
By the end of the day yesterday, the WHL was beginning to take action.
Robison had flushed out full reports on the incident from the officials
and both teams, and was ready to launch his own investigation.
If he finds proof the slur occured, he says the offending player
could face immediate suspension. In addition, the Broncos could be
fined.
A year ago, Moose forward Shawn Burr was fined an undisclosed amount
and ordered to apologize to Kansas City's Dody Wood for calling him a "dumb
Indian" during and IHL game.
Over the last few years, the NHL has suspended three palyers...Chris
Simon, Craig Berube and Bryan Marchment...for making racially-derogatory
comments to opponents who were black.
In fairness, the WHL can't begin fining teams or suspending player
simply because of an allegation. However, you'd think the referees
would take the issue seriously enough to at least report the alleged incidents
to the league.
Robison could then investigate, and issue the warnings to players
suspected of crossing the line.
Tootoo, who jokingly refers to himself as a "Ukimo"...he's half
Eskimo and half Ukranian...hasn't always taken racial slurs as well as
he does now. A few years ago, he would have taken aout his anger
on the opposing player, useing his fists.
He didn't approach the media about the incident. When pressed,
though, he expressed hope that talking about it publicly will help educate
those who continue to show their ignorance.
Any comments or thoughts, you as a fan may have to the above statement may be expressed on Left Over Scraps
March 7/2001
Re: Warren Zevon's latest attempt at a number
1 hit.
Hit Somebody! (The Hockey Song)....by Warren Zevon
Backing vocals by David Letterman
Released March 2001
He was born in Bit Beaver by the borderline
He started playing hockey by the time he was nine
His dad took the hose and froze the backyard
And Little Buddy dreamed he was Rocket Richard
He grew up big and he grew up tough
He saw himself scoring for the Wings or Canucks
But he wasn’t that good with the puck
Buddy’s real talent was beating people up
His heart wasn’t in it but the crowd ate it up
Through pee-wee’s and juniors; midgets and mites
He must have racked up over 600 fights
A scout from the Flames, came down from Saskatoon
Said, "There’s always room on our team for a goon
Son, we’ve always got room for a goon."
(Chorus)
There were Swedes to the left of him
Russians to the right
A Czech at the blueline looking for a fight
Brains over brawn, that might work for you
But what’s a Canadian farm boy to do
What else can a farm boy from Canada do
Hit somebody! was what the crowd roared
When Buddy the goon came over the boards
"Coach", he’d say, " wanna score goals"
The coach said, "Buddy, remember your role
The fast guys get paid, they shoot, they score
Protect them Buddy, that’s what you’re here for
Protection is what you’re here for
Protection—it’s the stars who score
Protection—kick somebody’s ass
Protection—don’t put the biscuit in the basket just
Hit some, Buddy! It rang in his ears
Blood on the ice ran down through the years
The king of the goons with a box for a throne
A thousand stitches and broken bones
He never lost a fight on his icy patrol
But deep inside, Buddy only dreamed of a goal
He just wanted one damn goal.
(Chorus)
In his final season, on his final night
Buddy and a Finn goon were pegged for a fight
Thirty seconds left, the puck took a roll
And suddenly Buddy had a shot at a goal
The goalie committed, Buddy picked his spot
Twenty years of waiting went into that shot
The fans jumped up, the Finn did too
And coldcocked Buddy on his follow through
The big man crumbled but he felt all right
Cause the last thing he saw was the flashing red light
He saw that heavenly light
(Chorus)
Jan 3/2001
Re: Canada's 5-2 loss to Finland at the WJC.
"....I'm just getting over the nausea caused by Stan Butler this morning. I think the players did play hard, and they can only go out with the guns that they have. But Stan Butler with his snivelling and whining, saying that I'm not a true Canadian if I don't believe that the coaching staff and the players put out there best effort, and others that don't agree with him aren't true Canadians. Well, I hate to tell Stan, the true Canadian who welched on a contract in Price George, decided to bring in his favorite little OHL players, instead of probably the most talent, needs to look in the mirror. I think the players did give it all they had, and nobody is pointing a finger at them, but I think people are pointing a finger at good ol' Stan Butler and his patronage appointments, so to speak, with Cammalleri and Auld--both being players he's familiar with, and not necessarily the most talented...I really got a kick out of the Kelowna broadcast crew last Saturday in Kelowna, the arch rivals of Kamloops, ranting and raving, and taking up a good portion of their show, wondering why Jared Aulin of the Blazers wasn't on that team. And I think by the lack of playmaking, that possibly that was part of the problem. They needed a guy like Aulin to put these guys in a position to bury the puck. I find Stan Butler's comments really bush league. And I find it offensive that these people with Hockey Canada hide behind this, "You're not a true Canadian" if you question some of the moves they make..."
Re: Travis Eagles with some pretty good parting shots for Ed Dempsey.
"...Ed Dempsey is simply not a good hockey coach for junior players.
He's a dinosaur, and I've referred to him as a poor man's Mike Keenan in
the past. It's starting to come out in the wash here. Lubenicki
needs to wake up and
pay attention. Maurice left because of a personality clash
with Ed Dempsey. There's been stories regarding a big blow up between
Tyler Bouck and Dempsey. There's been numerous players over the years,
but Travis Eagles is
the first to give him both barrels. And people who want to
stand up to Ed Dempsey and say he's just competitive--I think there's a
big big difference between being competitive, and being so insecure about
yourself that you have to bash the players that play for your hockey club.
Don Hay was a class act. He rode that fine line. He knew how
to pet players, and knew how to come down on the them. Never did
he berate players in the same way Dempsey
does. And I'm sick and tired of people pattin' this guy on
the back. This guy's a jerk. He's treated his players with
no respect, and I don't think he deserves respect. He needs to sharpen
up his attitiude, and the way he goes about the game. There's no
place in hockey for him. If he coached minor hockey, I think there'd
be more parents in court for assault with the way he treats players.
And I think it's high time somebody called a spade a spade..."
Any comments or thoughts, you as a fan may have to the above statement may be expressed on Left Over Scraps
Dec 12/2000
Re: The Tri-City Americans picking up Jon "Nasty"
Mirasty
".For starters, Al Tuer's going to have to shrink a uniform awfully
fast, 'cause Tri-Cities is a pretty big hockey club. You know Al Tuer is
that kind of guy. He was a physical, nasty player himself. And now he's
got Jon Mirasty to go along with a guy like Mike Lee, Ryan Jorde and a
few other guys. Al Tuer might see other hockey clubs aren't all that physical
and don't want to go to war with you. Maybe now he's seeing that his hockey
club has a chance to win this division. That may sound weird, but they're
only ten points out at this point. Maybe he feels he can run some teams
out of the rink; Maybe start makin' guys hear footsteps. Right now I think
Kamloops is a hockey club that Tri-Cities might want to do that with-Bang,
crash and make it nasty to play against. Who knows, if Kamloops' power
play isn't firing all that well, you get a break here and there, and you
can win a series. He played that way, and I think he's building a hockey
team in that same style.I don't think Jon Mirasty brings anything else
to the game, but unfortunately, if you play a team that's built to rumble,
sometimes other teams don't have that choice, the headhunting begins, and
if the powerplay isn't firing, they can keep it up, and pretty soon, you're
either going to
have to rumble, or start losing players to injury. And maybe that's
what Al Tuer has up his sleeve.
Re: Europeans in junior hockey
"...I went to the wall for Euro's last year, and this year I have
to stand back, re-evaluate and say I was wrong. They're paying to get these
guys for starters, and I think they're out and out stealing jobs from North
American kids. This Koci kid in Prince George is terrible. Lovedahl
got three chances in the league before he was finally released. I'm not
sold that this is a great idea. In Kamloops, you can't tell me that
there's not a 17-year-old kid in Canada that couldn't play the game as
well as Korovkin. And yet he's here and taking up a roster spot. As far
as I'm concerned, the Western Hockey League is to develop players in Western
Canada and the United States. Especially this year, seeing the number of
pretty average Europeans taking up roster spots of a league that's
basically paid for by the backs of the Canadian workers, and people
that go to the games and pay the ticket prices."
Re: Colton Orr
"What a godsend for the Blazers. People say they don't like fighting? This guy gets the biggest cheer every game."
Re: Colton Orr being a good start for Blazer toughness but.
"...You saw that Pat Brandreth had to pick up the slack, when Colton was busy against Moosejaw. He was going to try to answer the bell with Sean O'Connor. Kudos to Brandreth...the guy's got nothing but guts, but having to go with a guy like O'Connor, I think is expecting a little bit too much. Yeah, on the back end, I'd like to see somebody who's willing to drop the gloves and go, who's a physical presence, but can play the game. Sometimes the running around in their own end is a direct result of other teams not really fearing any physical presence. Like when Regehr was back there, other forwards had their heads up, fearing his wrath. And I think that's missing back there. A big nasty defenseman who doesn't mind rumbling once in a while, would really help out."
Any comments or thoughts, you as a fan may have to the above statement may be expressed on Left Over Scraps
Nov 27/2000
Re: Christmas coming early for fight fans in Kamloops
with the acquistion of Colton Orr.
"...the Blazers have finally picked up a tough gritty winger, and
this guy won't have to take any lessons on how to get the mitts off.
He knows his role, and from what I've heard, he's pretty wired and pumped
to be in Kamloops. I think the Blazers are getting the total package
here...The only thing they gave up is a little bit of speed, but I don't
think it's really hurt their talent level at all. And I'll leave it at
that. A guy like Panov is going to be that much more creative, and
be able to stick up for himself a lot more--maybe a little feistier play
from him. And same goes for Aulin who can bang and crash a little
more without risk of too much retribution...I hope this bodes more icetime
for Steven Spencer. In my opinion, Steven Spencer has been used wrong.
Last two games they've given up seven and five goals--the guy's hardly
seeing the ice, if he's even dressed. And I don't think with Spencer
playing, is going to be any worse than what they've shown. With Orr coming,
they could have a pretty formidable tag team relationship. Spencer's only
18, Orr's only 18--next year the Blazers could have one of the best one-two
punches in toughness in the league. And I hope Blazer management
and coaching sees fit to get this guy some icetime. With Colton Orr
crashing and banging, and Spencer looking for the big hit as he does, the
Blazers could go a long way to filling those 1000 or so empty seats, by
letting these guys play...And get back to old smash-mouth, lunchbucket
Blazer hockey."
Any comments or thoughts, you as a fan may have to the above statement may be expressed on Left Over Scraps
Nov 22/2000
Re: The "Colton Orr to Kamloops" Rumours.
"...I was buggin Mike Moore there, asking if he was taking a Colton Orr name plate on the road...but I think there's really only 3 or 4 teams bidding for Colton Orr. I think Calgary and Kootenay for sure. I'm not sure Gomez is the answer for the Hitmen. I definitely know Kootenay could use some toughness, and of course Kamloops. The Blazers might have a little more to offer than both of those teams. I'm not sure Kootenay is deep enough to really give up what they might want for Colton Orr..."
Re: On what hold out tough guy Colton Orr brings to the rink
"I don't think anybody ever calls him Bobby."
Re: Mark Hunter of the London Knights receiving season suspension after allegedly telling players to fight.
"...As you know I'm not a big fan of (OHL and CHL Commisioner) David
Branch. I think he's a Gary Bettman wannabe, and a bit of a joke. I think
Mark Hunter's paying an awefully high price for something that goes on
in junior hockey and the pros all the time...Whether he verbally said,
"I want you to fight", or the insinuation was there, it's all part of hockey,
and it happens. People who say it doesn't, they're burrying their head
in the sand
and are not looking at it honestly. The last time Spokane was in
Kamloops, they're killing a penalty in the last minute and they've got
Boychuk, Perry, Desautels--a 16 year old goon gettin' groomed for the job,
and Ryan Thorpe.
Everybody knows, who knows hockey, that these guys are not their
penalty killing unit. Now, do I think it really makes a difference whether
you tell them to fight, or you put them in the scenario where it's obvious.
What's
the difference?...So here's a guy who has the jam to tell his guys
to go out and do the job, which may, on Mark Hunter's part, have been stupid,
but it's really no different than what everybody else does. And for him
to get a year
suspension I think is crazy."
Any comments or thoughts, you as a fan may have to the above statement may be expressed on Left Over Scraps
Oct 17/2000
Re: Lack of Blazer Toughness
...Evason and Moore get pissed when people bring it up, but enough's
enough of this garbage. David Kaczowka has knocked Gionet out for a week
to ten days--could be longer with a concussion. Then he fights Tyler Sloan.
What
are the Blazers doing? They've got two of their top three defensemen
having to fight this two shift a period idiot. David Kaczowka should've
been second star for taking Gionet and Sloan out of the game. And here
the Blazers are
saying they don't need a tough guy? You've got Scottie Upshall getting
run from every team in the league, and the Blazers still stand on their
soapbox, and rant and rave at anyone who dares to stand up and point out
the obvious.
They can sit and preach the "team toughness" all they want, but
are they trying to reinvent the wheel or something? Dean Evason can say
hockey's getting away from that, but you tell me one other team in the
west division that doesn't have a guy sitting on the end of the bench to
fill that role--Boogaard in Prince George, Bowen in Portland, Feniak and
others in Tri-Cities, that aren't great hockey players, and they're there
for their physical presence. And you can go find those guys in the central
and the east as well. The Blazers are the only team, and their skill guys
are going to continue to get run and get hurt until they do something about
it. The NHL and WHL might try to take fighting out of the game, and right
now you can't even throw a good body check without taking a penalty. But
if they think that's going to be the answer, they're sadly mistaken, because
the stickwork is going to get worse. All you have to do is look at Konstantin
Panov, who gets two high sticks in the face--he's bleeding like a red cross
donor, and the call ends up being "kneeing". And they miss both high sticks.
If that's what people want to watch, I guess I'll just have to pull out
my fight tapes.
And what makes me the angriest, is reading in the paper and hearing
on the post game show, when the question is put to them about the toughness,
they get all defensive and mad. THEY need to step up to the plate, and
they need
to solve the problem. When you build a table you need that fine
sandpaper to get the nice finish, but I'm sorry, you also need the rougher
grittier stuff to get all the flaws out of it before you get to that point.
I'm not seeing too many teams intimidated by Blazer speed. And that seems
to be the mantra coming from the Blazers. The Blazers can point to the
scoreboard all they want with their 5-2-1 record, but when guys like Gionet
and Upshall, and Aulin all start missing man-games due to injury from teams
taking liberties, then they'll have to start looking around...I think Mike
Moore has been out beating the bushes, so we'll see what transpires in
the next week or so..."
Any comments or thoughts, you as a fan may have to the above statement may be expressed on Left Over Scraps
Oct. 3/2000
Re: Kamloops Blazers 7-2 loss to the Kootenay Ice,
September 29,
and win vs the Prince George Cougars September 30.
".I've heard Dean Evason referring to the Kootenay Ice game as "Not as bad as most fans thought". I guess the fans don't see the game in the same light as Dean Evason. I don't know how on one hand, you can say "They wanted it more, but we put in a good gritty effort." Kootenay is a good team but you need to call a spade a spade. And I think the work ethic needed to be turned up, and a bit more leadership from some of the older guys. If it was a bad night, you need to say it was a bad night, and not try to make roses out of dandelions."
Re: Pat Brandreth
"This Pat Brandreth--the kid just keeps making people notice him. What a banger and crasher-drops the gloves. Here's a guy I think they've got generously listed at 6'1". The kid's got the heart of Darcy Tucker. This guy's got future captain written all over him. He's a beautiful kid to watch for a 16 year old. He doesn't pick his spots either. He goes after everybody and anybody. I think there's a couple of guys out of the line-up like Chad Schockenmaier that are probably going to be hard pressed, and are going to have to work really hard to get into the line-up over a guy like Brandreth. Right at this point, he's a real sparkplug, and he's going to be a tough guy to take out of the line-up."
Re: Spencer and Boogaard
"He (Spencer) landed at least four huge right hands that really made Boogaard take attention. I know one just snapped his head back. For a guy giving up about 5 inches and 40 lbs, I thought Spencer did really well, if not won the fight. Boogaard's not going to be running around like an ape for the rest of the year if Spencer's performance was any indication. Spencer's quoted as saying he wants to play hockey and doesn't really want the enforcer's role, but unfortunately with this club, he's going to have to drop the gloves a little more than even he wants to."
Any comments or thoughts, you as a fan may have to the above statement may be expressed on Left Over Scraps
Sept 20/00
Re: General overview of the heavyweights heading into
the season.
"...Jason Bone is once again going to fight anybody and everybody.
He doesn't lose too many, but not to many decisive wins either. If he's
in the line-up, the Blazers won't get run out of every building. But I'm
sure he'd like to have some back-up, and maybe a big guy to go with some
of the Gorillas out in the west like Bowen and Boogaard, Boychuk. It would
be good for Kamloops to go out and get one big defenseman to help Jason
out. To start out the rankings, we've got Jason Bone at number one due
to his willingness to go. And other guys are going to have to take it away
from them.
We've got Mike Lee at number two. Quite frankly, my personal opinion
is I kinda hedged on putting a guy that high that quite often tries to
get the jump on other scrappers, and rarely squares off. And Mike's been
up
to that already this year in preseason jumping Chad Grisdale of
Portland. But Mike Lee hits hard, and scares the b'jesus out of some people...
I think it's going to be an exciting year because there's no Stephen
Peat to run away with it. Boogaard's still got a lot to show. He's a big
kid but he's got to prove he wants to do it night in and night out. So
I really think the west division is wide open for sure. And a alot of the
young guys like Darren McLachlan are going to throw their hat in the ring
as well.
Things are getting interesting in the Central with Med-Hat trading
for MacIntyre and Ryan Chieduch. Maybe Scheffelmaier is available for a
team like Kamloops. I was surprised MacIntyre became available in PA, but
I
guess they have this Mirasty kid, who's trained in boxing, is under
6 feet and under 200 lbs, but apparantly Mirasty is nasty, he doesn't waste
a lot of punches, and MacIntyre found out as Mirasty dropped him like a
bad habit..."
Any comments or thoughts, you as a fan may have to the above statement may be expressed on Left Over Scraps
