For the first "real" post on this blog, I suppose I can give a background as to what my own personal world of sports looks like.
As of today, November 11th (lest we forget), the NHL lockout is still going on... you heard it here first! However, I really can't say that bothers me. Firstly, by the end of last year, I found myself forcing myself to watch the game at it's highest level... when I watched at all. I saw bits and pieces of the first three games of the finals and watched only the clincher in it's entirety (and only by force of habit at that). I think the way Jim Hughson called the dying moments of that game were very fitting... he didn't say a thing. Maybe it was audio problems... I choose to think it's because even a man as well spoken as Hughson couldn't find a way to paint a picture with words that would make the moment in any way exciting. Ever call play by play for watching paint dry? Neither have I... but I'd be willing to bet that it's a rather anticlimactic affair. Game 6 of the finals was much the same. As a friend of mine said the other day "the fans need a break after that" and I tend to agree. After watching the Deutschland Cup and an awesome AHL game between Oklahoma City and Abbotsford on the tube last night, I'm even more apathetic towards whether or not a deal gets done.
The other side of it is it allows leagues like the AHL and CHL not only gain more of the hockey spotlight, it elevates the level of play in those leagues. This is of course most evident in the AHL (Oklahoma City has Magnus Paajarvi on their SECOND line)... although the same can be said for the junior ranks. Guys like Jonathan Huberdeau, Dougie Hamilton and Mark Scheifele get some extra time in the CHL... not great for them, but certainly enjoyable for fans of the game at that level. So yeah... the lockout bothers me about as much as when The Wonder Years went off the air. And much like The Wonder Years, the NHL is available in reruns anyway (thank you NHL Network... and Daniel Briere could pass in a pinch for Fred Savage which is merely an added bonus).
Closer to home, the Wildcats are shaking off a sluggish start and find themselves with a 12-9 record and battling for position behind the Halifax Mooseheads for one of the higher seeds in the QMJHL. They currently sit in eighth place overall, but only four points out of fourth. This is a "go for it" year in Moncton... the Cats have decent depth up front and on the back end and two European forwards in Dimitri Jaskin and Ivan Barbashev that are flat out frickin fun to watch. Jaskin is a bull in a china shop who will do everything in his power to shoot the puck. I'm convinced if they let him fire one on net while in the penalty box, he'd give it a go. It's not a knock against him though... he popped two in about two minutes in Gatineau last night to bring his total to 19. 50 goal scorers on the Wildcats are about as common as rain in the desert (it's happened exactly twice in 17 seasons) so the prospect of one of those is kinda nice. As for Barbashev, he's getting his feet wet and becoming more and more of a magician with the puck as each game goes by, gaining more confidence along the way. He even got in a scrap in the above mentioned Gatineau game (6-2 Cats win btw)... haven't seen a video of it yet but so long as it wasn't an Alex Semin slap-fight I'll be content. If the revolving door of backup goalies ever ends, the team could make some noise.
Meanwhile in Dieppe, the Commandos are fresh off a 5-4 OT win over Pictou County this afternoon which brought them back to level ground at 8-8-0-3. It's a tough year to be a .500 team in the MHL however, what with the Truro Bearcats gearing up to host the Fred Page Cup in April and the Summerside Western Capitals hosting the national Jr.A championship, the RBC Cup right after that. That means the .500 Commandos are actually 8th in the 11 team MHL. However, they are an exciting team on the rise, one year away from doing serious damage. Solid in nets and young but promising on defense, it up front where the Commandos put on a show. For the first time since basically the internet became a popular thing, a player from the franchise actually has a shot at leading the league in scoring. Danny Chiasson has basically put the team on his back at times and the result is a league best 35 points in 19 games (including four more today). Younger guys like Shane Dallaire, Mark Simpson and Joel Blanchard to name just a few are lighting it up consistently as well. What it all adds up to is an exciting team that not near enough people are seeing. Greater Moncton has alot of options for entertainment in general, let alone hockey. However, based on what I've seen this year, it's the team at the Arthur J Leblanc - not the Coliseum - that is giving it's followers the best bang for their buck with a higher on-ice entertainment value. Sure they don't turn people into human bowling balls during intermissions... but the beer is dirt cheap! How is going to their games even a debate? That being said, I support both franchises and am not playing one against the other per se... but I will say this much; if you ever had even an inkling of a thought about taking in a Commandos game, this year is as good a time as any. If you enjoy laser shows and T-shirt cannons, you'll be disappointed. If you enjoy the game played with a genuine feeling of excitement, you'll be pleasantly surprised.
Then there's the Red Sox... but since it's winter, we won't talk about that. Although having the guy who couldn't make sense of the game as an ESPN analyst out of the dugout is a step in the right direction. Next year's goal should be .500 and dumping John Lackey's grossly overpaid behind anywhere... a list of optional destinations including, but not limited to, the stingray tank at the New England Aquarium and the dumpster behind Kelly's Roast Beef in Medford. Or the Dodgers, whatever works.
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