NHL: I don’t know much about, well, a lot of things but I do know double standards and relativism when I see it. I still can’t figure out how Daniel Carcillo was suspended for clocking a Penguins player while Calgary’s Mike Cammalleri was spared for the exact same act. Yeah, yeah I heard Colin “Colie” Campbell’s explanation of “keeping context” but I’m not buying it.
Same with Scott Walker of the Carolina Hurricanes who for a brief few seconds thought himself to be Manny Pacquiao when he suckered Aaron Ward with a punch. Meanwhile, Ward displayed a remarkable resemblance to Thomas Hearns (Get it? Glass jaw…bah).
In any event, Walker should have been suspended for that act.
On the other hand, Red Wings defenseman Niklas Kronwall’s massively violent hit on Martin Havlat (who was immediately knocked out. It was scary watching his eyes roll back as he lay on the ice. Worse, he ran the risk of getting his armed severed following the scrum swirling around him) last night was a clean hit. It was in the same spirit of Scott Stevens. It was a case of reacting to the result since the refs didn’t even signal a penalty on the play. Yet, Kronwall was assessed a five minute interference penalty and game misconduct.
Naturally, Blackhawks fans are going nuts, but really, it was a clean hockey check. Hey, I can sympathize, I have Havlat in my keeper league.
Just Another Day In The Life Of Italy
Soccer: Juventus decided to give manager Claudio Ranieri the big “ciao” by firing him. A master tactician and disciplinarian, Ranieri is a highly regarded coach with stints that included Fiorentina, Valencia, Atletico Madrid and Chelsea on his resume. Ranieri may have not won the “big one” he did bring Chelsea back to respectability after taking over from Gianluca Vialli. While Jose Mourinho brought Chelsea to back to back titles in 2005 and 2006, it’s interesting to note, even under Jose Mourinho, Felipe Scolari and Guus Hiddink, Chelsea has not won a Champions League title. They all went as far (semi-finals) as Ranieri.
Proving that it’s not easy winning CL.
Anyway, fans have been calling for his head for quite some time and they got their wish. Although I’m not sure what more he could have done with an aging squad in transition. He could have used stand out talent Sebastian Giovinco more I suppose.
Why did they let Didier Deschamps go again?
Broadcasting: Last week Sportsnet out of Canada led into a New York Yankees recap segment with, who else?, Alex Rodriquez who was “spotted making out in the back of restaurant” with some actress. Kate Hudson I think.
I thought to myself, “who gives a shit”? Another case of a “professional” sports show pandering to the lowest common denominator with garbage that has absolutely nothing to do with the game itself.
But that’s me.
UEFA Cup: I feel the UEFA Cup doesn’t get the respect it deserves. Laying in the shadows of the Champions League, it’s inevitable it’ll get overlooked. I couldn’t even find one lousy channel carrying the game.
For those of you who care, Ukraine’s Shaktar Donetsk defeated Werder Bremen of the Bundesliga 2-1 (AET) to bring that country its first ever major title.
Hockey Stats: We’re hearing a lot about how Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin (I would add Evgeni Malkin in the mix. Even Larry Bird and Magic Johnson had the smooth and elegant Dr. J – Julius Irving) are the next Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux.
While the promise they possess certainly makes for a fair comparison, they still have a long way to go.
Here are some stats I pulled out for fun (and probably out of context). Please keep in mind such stats don’t consider time lost to injuries. I only considered the years in which players were top 10 in scoring. In any event, I wanted to see how much their points represented in relation to overall team scoring.
For example, in 2006, Ovechkin had 106 points. Washington scored 237 goals that year. This mean, Ovechkin was involved in a Capitals goal 45% of the time. In the same year, Crosby hit 42% (102 points in 244 goals).
Let’s continue: 2007 – Ovechkin 39%; Crosby 43%; Malkin 31%. In 2008 – Ovechkin 46%, Malkin 43%; Crosby 29% (in 53 games played. He was injured). In 2009, Malkin 43%, Ovechkin 40%, Crosby 39%.
Average: Ovechkin 43%, Malkin 39%, Crosby 38%.
So how do they stack up to Gretzky and Lemieux? Winners of 16 Art Ross trophies (Wayne 10, Mario 6) between them?
Drum roll please. Cymbals. And we’re off.
Gretzky 46% and Lemieux 45%. So over a longer career path, #99 and #66 represented 46% and 45% of production. Gretzky crossed over the 50% barrier four times while Lemieux did twice. The highest Gretzky reached was .52 in 1985 while Lemieux hit a staggering .57 in 1989.
The young kids have their work cut out for them.
These were different eras and I’m sure there were other players (Howe, Richard and Esposito come to mind. In fact, I did some fast calculations and they too hovered in the same region. That is, 38% to 44% or thereabouts) who represented a percentage as well but I chose to look at these players.
