Competition between players, coaches, clubs and owners is not rare in professional sports and much of the time this competition stems from bad blood or a competitive nature inherent in professional athletes. And hey, I'll be the first to admit without competition sports would be boring.
But amidst the bad blood and the drive to win, you do come across the odd time where competition is all in good fun. Even more rare than that is when competition leads to helping others. A prime recent example of this healthy comeptition comes from the Canadian Football League. Earlier this week co-owners of the Toronto Argonauts, David Cynamon and Howard Sokolowski, announced that they plan to donate $4 million over five years to the Hospital for Sick Children.
Cue the competitive drive of B.C. Lions owver David Braley. One day after the announcement by the Argonauts' owners, it was announced that Braley himself is donating $5 million to St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton. Although Braley it is not certain or likely that Braley made this donation because his competitive counterparts had done the same, it is not a stretch to believe that it may have had some effect on his decision to donate, and donate $1 million more. There's nothing wrong with a little healthy competition.
Braley, a Hamilton-based business man, has made it second nature to help the community whether it be in Vancouver or Hmailton. Last August, Braley was a part of the McMaster University Alumni who contrinuted $5 million to help support McMaster's new athletics and recreation centre.
Friday, May 25, 2007
Monday, April 23, 2007
One and Done
For all those who have been jumping on and off the Vancouver Canucks' bandwagon, a game seven is everything that you have ever wanted. On the one hand, if the Canucks lose you will claim that you knew it all along, that the Canucks had no chance and that they were going to blow the 3-1 series lead. On the other hand, if the Canucks win you will undoubtedly assert that you stood behind the team all season long and have no worries when the team blew its 3-1 series lead.
The fact of the matter is that whomever predicted anything but a stalemate in the series between the Stars and the Canucks was doing so without any hard evidence. That is why I would call those people bandwagoners. If anyone expected anything but a game seven in this series, they would have been crazy. As evenly matched as the two teams were in the regular season, they were even more so in the first six games of the playoffs. Experts nationwide were predicting a long series with good goaltending and that is what they got. The Canucks may have let a 3-1 series lead slip, however it was not before they had attained that series lead in a fashion which they may not have been deserving.
So to all of you who predicted the Canucks winning or Stars winning, you were wrong. There was no way, in a series as even as this one, for you to predict anything but a close series and the possibility of a game seven. I have not done much predicting this series or throughout the regular season in fact, but I will start now and say that after tonight the series will be over and the team that wins the seventh and deciding game will be most deserving, even if it is only by a goal.
The fact of the matter is that whomever predicted anything but a stalemate in the series between the Stars and the Canucks was doing so without any hard evidence. That is why I would call those people bandwagoners. If anyone expected anything but a game seven in this series, they would have been crazy. As evenly matched as the two teams were in the regular season, they were even more so in the first six games of the playoffs. Experts nationwide were predicting a long series with good goaltending and that is what they got. The Canucks may have let a 3-1 series lead slip, however it was not before they had attained that series lead in a fashion which they may not have been deserving.
So to all of you who predicted the Canucks winning or Stars winning, you were wrong. There was no way, in a series as even as this one, for you to predict anything but a close series and the possibility of a game seven. I have not done much predicting this series or throughout the regular season in fact, but I will start now and say that after tonight the series will be over and the team that wins the seventh and deciding game will be most deserving, even if it is only by a goal.
Thursday, April 12, 2007
The 2nd Season Begins
The NHL Playoffs kicked off last night and the first night's schedule did not fail to disappoint. The early games saw the four and five seeds do battle in both conferences and although both series' were touted as being the best two match-ups in the the first round, only one of the two came through.
The Ottawa Senators, who have only one player on their roster that does not have any NHL playoff experience in Joe Corvo, let their experience pay off in a 6-3 thrashing of the inexperienced and evidently nervous Pittsburgh Penguins. The sens opened up an early 2-0 lead on the Pens capitalizing on jittery play by the Penguins team and a shaky goalie Marc-Andre Fleury. Fleury settled down by the end of the first period and kept his team down by only two goals after being outplayed, but by the second period the fat lady had sung. Ottawa extended their lead to 6-1 later in the game and until late in the contest, kept young phenoms Sidney Crosby and Jordan Staal in check.
The Western Conference's 4/5 match-up was everything but a blowout. The game was a high tempo and high scoring contest which saw the San Jose Sharks take a 4-2 lead into the third period, only to allow a last minute tying goal on a deflection by Nashville's J.P. Dumont. After a scoreless first overtime, the San Jose Sharks came through and made amends for their blown lead when Patrick Marleau fed Patrick Rissmiller who netted his first of the post-season to give the Sharks the win. In one of the two remaining opening night games, the Anaheim Ducks won a low scoring affair topping the Minnesota Wild 2-1, in Anaheim.
The final game of the night - and the game that ran the longest - was the marathon between the Dallas Stars and the Vancouver Canucks. In a series that was expected to be low scoring and highly defensive, the Stars and Canucks came out guns a blazing in game 1, both scoring four goals before heading to overtime. Markus Naslund played one of his best games of the year notching one goal and one assist and Jeff Cowan continued his torrid pace of great play taking the spot of Matt Cooke after Cooke left the game with a groin strain. Both goaltenders who were under immense scrutiny entering the playoffs played well enough to keep their respective teams in the game despite allowing some questionable goals. In the end - which didn't come for a while, not until the 4th overtime - it was the Sedin twins who came through continuing to be the go-to-guys for the Canucks as Daniel Sedin fed his brother Henrik who ended the game late in the fourth overtime frame.
The first night of playoff hockey was far from a let down and was full of drama. The story lines are set for each set of game twos, but before we get there we have more exciting game 1's on hand tonight as Detroit takes on Calgary, Atlanta battles the Rangers, Buffalo and the Islanders square off and New Jersey and Tampa Bay begin their series.
It is official, the 2nd season is underway. Soak it in and enjoy the two months of non-stop exciting hockey!
The Ottawa Senators, who have only one player on their roster that does not have any NHL playoff experience in Joe Corvo, let their experience pay off in a 6-3 thrashing of the inexperienced and evidently nervous Pittsburgh Penguins. The sens opened up an early 2-0 lead on the Pens capitalizing on jittery play by the Penguins team and a shaky goalie Marc-Andre Fleury. Fleury settled down by the end of the first period and kept his team down by only two goals after being outplayed, but by the second period the fat lady had sung. Ottawa extended their lead to 6-1 later in the game and until late in the contest, kept young phenoms Sidney Crosby and Jordan Staal in check.
The Western Conference's 4/5 match-up was everything but a blowout. The game was a high tempo and high scoring contest which saw the San Jose Sharks take a 4-2 lead into the third period, only to allow a last minute tying goal on a deflection by Nashville's J.P. Dumont. After a scoreless first overtime, the San Jose Sharks came through and made amends for their blown lead when Patrick Marleau fed Patrick Rissmiller who netted his first of the post-season to give the Sharks the win. In one of the two remaining opening night games, the Anaheim Ducks won a low scoring affair topping the Minnesota Wild 2-1, in Anaheim.
The final game of the night - and the game that ran the longest - was the marathon between the Dallas Stars and the Vancouver Canucks. In a series that was expected to be low scoring and highly defensive, the Stars and Canucks came out guns a blazing in game 1, both scoring four goals before heading to overtime. Markus Naslund played one of his best games of the year notching one goal and one assist and Jeff Cowan continued his torrid pace of great play taking the spot of Matt Cooke after Cooke left the game with a groin strain. Both goaltenders who were under immense scrutiny entering the playoffs played well enough to keep their respective teams in the game despite allowing some questionable goals. In the end - which didn't come for a while, not until the 4th overtime - it was the Sedin twins who came through continuing to be the go-to-guys for the Canucks as Daniel Sedin fed his brother Henrik who ended the game late in the fourth overtime frame.
The first night of playoff hockey was far from a let down and was full of drama. The story lines are set for each set of game twos, but before we get there we have more exciting game 1's on hand tonight as Detroit takes on Calgary, Atlanta battles the Rangers, Buffalo and the Islanders square off and New Jersey and Tampa Bay begin their series.
It is official, the 2nd season is underway. Soak it in and enjoy the two months of non-stop exciting hockey!
Monday, March 12, 2007
Well, it looks like The Press Box is back. It’s been a while, far too long in my humble opinion. Shaheed and I did over 30 episodes of the show, jibber-jabbering back and forth at one another.
So, we’re back and blogging! Let me tell you, I am really starting to dig the “blog.” A friend of mine said, “Nabil, now you can sound like a total moron on air and on print.” Great, thanks for the support. But, this is a great way to be interactive which is a new exciting direction for The Press Box. But more of that to come soon…
What’s going these days in sports? Let’s see, the Chris Simon issue. You know I want to get into that, but not right now. I need to collect my thoughts and really think about this one before I say something. It’s all too familiar, bringing back a very controversial issue.
I am watching CSI Miami and the only thing I can think about is Roberto Luongo. Yes, laugh it up. For the record this is not some teenie-bopper high school type of crush. I just have been amazed with Luongo all season. A no-brainer obviously. Forget all the record books he’s coming close to or has already broken as a Canuck. What impresses me most about Bobby-Lu is that he is always composed. This is something we have not seen in quite sometime from Vancouver goalies.
I used to think the fire that Dan Cloutier had made him the goalie he was. And, you know what, I was right. However, it has hindered him more than helped him. Unfortunately, having a short fuse as a goaltender doesn’t seem to be the formula for success. Look at the arguably the three best goalies in the league: Brodeur, Luongo and Kipper, all goalies that don’t get rattled. They all seem to be so cool and confident, no matter what the score or situation is. Heck, I don’t think I have ever seen Kipper smile.
Luongo has been the target of the opposition all year. He has been bumped, run and trash-talked, sometimes all at once. But, I think the Roberto has been able to keep his cool, because he has been so motivated to stick it to the Panthers, to prove to his critics that he can lead a team to the playoffs and show the fans of Vancouver what a world-class goalie plays like.
I could go on and on about Roberto. However, I have to intern tomorrow at CBC and I am dead tired.
I just can’t to see what Luongo does in the playoffs.
Stay Tuned.
So, we’re back and blogging! Let me tell you, I am really starting to dig the “blog.” A friend of mine said, “Nabil, now you can sound like a total moron on air and on print.” Great, thanks for the support. But, this is a great way to be interactive which is a new exciting direction for The Press Box. But more of that to come soon…
What’s going these days in sports? Let’s see, the Chris Simon issue. You know I want to get into that, but not right now. I need to collect my thoughts and really think about this one before I say something. It’s all too familiar, bringing back a very controversial issue.
I am watching CSI Miami and the only thing I can think about is Roberto Luongo. Yes, laugh it up. For the record this is not some teenie-bopper high school type of crush. I just have been amazed with Luongo all season. A no-brainer obviously. Forget all the record books he’s coming close to or has already broken as a Canuck. What impresses me most about Bobby-Lu is that he is always composed. This is something we have not seen in quite sometime from Vancouver goalies.
I used to think the fire that Dan Cloutier had made him the goalie he was. And, you know what, I was right. However, it has hindered him more than helped him. Unfortunately, having a short fuse as a goaltender doesn’t seem to be the formula for success. Look at the arguably the three best goalies in the league: Brodeur, Luongo and Kipper, all goalies that don’t get rattled. They all seem to be so cool and confident, no matter what the score or situation is. Heck, I don’t think I have ever seen Kipper smile.
Luongo has been the target of the opposition all year. He has been bumped, run and trash-talked, sometimes all at once. But, I think the Roberto has been able to keep his cool, because he has been so motivated to stick it to the Panthers, to prove to his critics that he can lead a team to the playoffs and show the fans of Vancouver what a world-class goalie plays like.
I could go on and on about Roberto. However, I have to intern tomorrow at CBC and I am dead tired.
I just can’t to see what Luongo does in the playoffs.
Stay Tuned.
Sunday, March 11, 2007
All That Is Wrong
Welcome back Press Boxers!
I'm as glad as anyone that The Press Box is back with an interactive approach to the best place to 'just talk sports' because as many of you may know, I'm a internet junkie.
Speaking of junk, did anyone watch the Canucks vs. Ducks game tonight? A message to the know-it-alls at the NHL head offices: if you want to see an embodiment of all that is wrong with the game today (or at least some of it) then take a look at some footage from tonight's game down at the Pond (or Honda Center, whatever).
In the first period Canucks' forward Tommi Santala was pushed awkwardly from behind into the boards in his own zone, although he was not severely injured on the play and returned to the game shifts later, the outcome of such a hit could have been grave.
Problem 1: There was no penalty on the play. A hit from behind, no matter who the victim or the severity of the hit, should be penalized.
Problem 2: After a non-call on the hit, Canucks' tough guy (sometimes to the shagrin of the coaching staff) Kevin Bieksa took punishment into his own hands by challenging the Ducks' forward Dustin Penner (the hitman, so to speak) to a fight. Penner graciously accepted and the two did a little dance. After all this, along with his fighting major Bieksa was handed an instigator penalty along with a misconduct. On the ensuing power play, Anaheim took the lead. If the refs aren't calling penalties to protect the players and the rules don't allow for the players to protect themselves through good old fashioned fistacuffs, then why is the NHL surprised by all of the Chris Simon-like incidents arising?
Problem 3: Shortly after this skirmish, Canucks' grinders Matt Cooke and Jeff Cowan took a clean yet provoking run at Ducks' young d-man Kent Huskins. Shawn Thornton took exception to this hit (and Cowan's extra nudge after the hit) and jumped Cowan much like Bieksa did Penner (more instigating-like in fact). One would think that Thornton would then be assessed an instigator and misconduct to along with his five minutes of fighting, right? Nope.
The game went on like this throughout the night with inconsistent officiating and not much flow being allowed by the men in stripes. Far be it that I blame the Canucks' loss on the officials, but they did not make it any easier for Vancouver to stick up for themselves without being put in a vulnerable position and they did not call it consistently when the Ducks did so.
As far as the NHL has come in the 'new era' it is apparent through tonight's game that there is still a long way to go in making the game what it should be and then marketing it as the best and coolest game on earth. So I shall wait, patiently, albeit squirming in my seat every time an instigator penalty is called.
I'm as glad as anyone that The Press Box is back with an interactive approach to the best place to 'just talk sports' because as many of you may know, I'm a internet junkie.
Speaking of junk, did anyone watch the Canucks vs. Ducks game tonight? A message to the know-it-alls at the NHL head offices: if you want to see an embodiment of all that is wrong with the game today (or at least some of it) then take a look at some footage from tonight's game down at the Pond (or Honda Center, whatever).
In the first period Canucks' forward Tommi Santala was pushed awkwardly from behind into the boards in his own zone, although he was not severely injured on the play and returned to the game shifts later, the outcome of such a hit could have been grave.
Problem 1: There was no penalty on the play. A hit from behind, no matter who the victim or the severity of the hit, should be penalized.
Problem 2: After a non-call on the hit, Canucks' tough guy (sometimes to the shagrin of the coaching staff) Kevin Bieksa took punishment into his own hands by challenging the Ducks' forward Dustin Penner (the hitman, so to speak) to a fight. Penner graciously accepted and the two did a little dance. After all this, along with his fighting major Bieksa was handed an instigator penalty along with a misconduct. On the ensuing power play, Anaheim took the lead. If the refs aren't calling penalties to protect the players and the rules don't allow for the players to protect themselves through good old fashioned fistacuffs, then why is the NHL surprised by all of the Chris Simon-like incidents arising?
Problem 3: Shortly after this skirmish, Canucks' grinders Matt Cooke and Jeff Cowan took a clean yet provoking run at Ducks' young d-man Kent Huskins. Shawn Thornton took exception to this hit (and Cowan's extra nudge after the hit) and jumped Cowan much like Bieksa did Penner (more instigating-like in fact). One would think that Thornton would then be assessed an instigator and misconduct to along with his five minutes of fighting, right? Nope.
The game went on like this throughout the night with inconsistent officiating and not much flow being allowed by the men in stripes. Far be it that I blame the Canucks' loss on the officials, but they did not make it any easier for Vancouver to stick up for themselves without being put in a vulnerable position and they did not call it consistently when the Ducks did so.
As far as the NHL has come in the 'new era' it is apparent through tonight's game that there is still a long way to go in making the game what it should be and then marketing it as the best and coolest game on earth. So I shall wait, patiently, albeit squirming in my seat every time an instigator penalty is called.
A New Face
The Press Box is back and ready to get interactive!
The Press Box blog is a place for you to follow the opinions and stories of the TPB hosts and writers and get your own voice heard by posting your own comments.
Keep checking back for new posts and updates on the website and upcoming shows of 'The Press Box: Where we just talk sports'.
The Press Box blog is a place for you to follow the opinions and stories of the TPB hosts and writers and get your own voice heard by posting your own comments.
Keep checking back for new posts and updates on the website and upcoming shows of 'The Press Box: Where we just talk sports'.
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